UN team arrives on humanitarian mission to assess needs in Aceh
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.