UN team arrives on humanitarian mission to assess needs in Aceh

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

A team from the United Nations arrived in Aceh on Monday to assess the humanitarian needs of the Acehnese following last week's landmark peace agreement, marking the first UN mission to the war-torn province since fighting began in 1976.

The seven-member team from the UN's Indonesian Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is led by Michael Elmquist and will remain in the province for three days.

"We hope the condition in Aceh will return to normal as before," Elmquist said upon his arrival at the Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

The UN's arrival in Aceh follows last week's agreement between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government to end decades of hostilities.

The agreement marks the best chance for permanent peace in the province after more than two and a half years of negotiations under the auspices of the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).

The agreement calls for humanitarian aid for the victims of the conflict during the first six months after the signing of the agreement. OCHA's presence marks the first step toward implementing this stipulation.

According to OCHA spokesperson Laksmita Noviera, the team will meet with Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, local government officials, activists and local leaders.

On Tuesday the team will visit Pidie regency, where some of the heaviest fighting between GAM and government troops took place.

Laksmita said the team chose Pidie because its residents had suffered the greatest impact of the conflict.

"After that, (the team) will decide on the measures for a humanitarian mission to help the Acehnese that fell victim to the conflict," she said.

Over 10,000 people have died since GAM began fighting for an independent state in Aceh. More than 1,700 were killed this year alone, with rights activists accusing both sides of the killings.

Thousands of Acehnese have fled their homes for the forest, leaving behind farmland and cattle. Local officials have estimated that about 60 percent of the 4.1 million residents of Aceh are living below the poverty line.

Governor Abdullah Puteh said the UN mission included representatives from the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program.

The priorities are to help refugees, victims of the conflict, the unemployed and others whose lives were effected by the conflict, Puteh said as quoted by Antara.

Asked how much money the UN would provide, the governor said the amount was not high and that the team would have to coordinate with the local government to optimize use of the money.

Helping the people of Aceh resume normal lives is the precursor for reconstructing the ravaged province. International donors have pledged to provide aid and the government plans to rebuild vital economic infrastructure, although only after a lasting peace in the province is assured.