PRR Task Force: Refugees in Sumatra fall by 6,121 during Ramadan

The Sumatra Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force (PRR) reported that the number of refugees in Aceh, North Sumatra (Sumut) and West Sumatra (Sumbar) has fallen significantly since the start of Ramadan. According to PRR, at the start of Ramadan on 20 February 2026, the number of refugees was 12,994, comprising 12,144 in Aceh and 850 in Sumut. West Sumatra Province, meanwhile, had no refugees in tents. As field handling accelerated, the numbers continued to decline. The latest data on Thursday morning (5 March) shows there were 6,873 refugees remaining, including 6,187 in Aceh and 686 in Sumut. Thus, in less than two weeks, the number of refugees has fallen by 6,121 people or 47.1 per cent from the Ramadan figure.

The decline in tent refugees aligns with the accelerated construction of temporary housing (huntara) in the three affected provinces. According to data from BNPB and the Ministry of Public Works, of a total planned 18,309 huntara units in Aceh, Sumut and Sumbar, as of 4 March 2026 12,279 units had been completed, or 67 per cent. In addition to huntara, progress on permanent housing (huntap) is also underway. Of a total plan of 36,669 huntap units in the three provinces, 1,363 were in the construction stage and 6 had been completed.

Separately, the disbursement of the Housing Waiting Fund (DTH) has been realised at 100 per cent. Of 10,783 recipients across the three provinces, all have received transfers to their respective accounts. The Ministry of Social Affairs is also processing the distribution of livelihood protection assistance (jadup) for 175,211 people or 47,686 households across 37 districts/cities in the three affected provinces, with a total budget of Rp236.53 billion.

Earlier, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, the Head of the Sumatra Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force, emphasised that accelerating the relocation of refugees is a priority in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase. The target was announced at a ministerial-level Coordination Meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK), Jakarta. ‘We hope to complete it as soon as possible before Eid al-Fitr. If possible, before Eid al-Fitr no one will be in tents but in huntara or receiving the housing waiting funds that are provided,’ Tito said.