Task Force Tito Urges Optimisation of Temporary Shelters for Refugees Still in Tents

Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri), as Chair of the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force (PRR) for post-disaster Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, urged optimising the use of huntara for refugees still living in tents. He explained that those in tents could be relocated to other sites with surplus huntara capacity, adding: ‘That’s how the trick works.’ During the ministerial-level Coordinating Meeting (Rakor) on accelerating the handling of refugees after disasters in Sumatra, held hybrid from the Kemendagri headquarters in Jakarta on Thursday 5 March 2026, he stressed that the current priority is refugees in tents. While refugees occupying other facilities such as government buildings or meunasah (traditional Acehnese community prayer houses) can be addressed in the next phase. ‘If those in tents are the people’s hope, from the regional heads, tents are the priority,’ he said. He added that some areas still require additional huntara construction due to the large number of refugees. One area of concern is Aceh Tamiang, which still needs more huntara to accommodate refugees. ‘Tamiang has a large number, and the huntara is indeed insufficient,’ he added. In addition, Tito asked for clearer mapping of huntara development across funding sources to ensure the government has accurate data on how many huntara have been built and how many remain targeted. He said the data is needed for government reports to the President on the progress of post-disaster handling and recovery in Sumatra. This aligns with Presidential Decree No. 1 of 2026 on the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. ‘So we also know how much is built by BNPB, how much by Danantara, and how much by the Ministry of Public Works. Later, when we report to the President, every two months as per the Decree,’ he concluded.