Visiting Aceh Tamiang, Task Force Head Tito Ensures Acceleration of Refugee Handling

Indonesia’s Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) and Head of the Task Force (Kasatgas) for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (PRR) Post-Sumatra Disaster, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, directly inspected the conditions of refugees in Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh, on Saturday (4/4/2026). This visit was conducted to ensure the acceleration of handling disaster-affected residents, including those still in tents. During the inspection, Tito held dialogues with refugees in three villages, namely Lubuk Sidup, Tanjung Gelumpang, and Sekumur. These three villages are located in Sekerak Subdistrict, Aceh Tamiang Regency. He revealed that the number of refugees has decreased drastically compared to the initial post-disaster conditions that occurred at the end of November 2025. From around 2.1 million people who were once displaced in the three affected provinces, the number is now increasingly reduced. “The government wants to convey that refugees who are no longer staying in tents are approaching 100 percent. Why? We calculate roughly around 300 heads of household (KK), roughly about 1,000 refugees compared to the initial 2.1 million people. That’s already more than 99 percent who are no longer in tents,” Tito said in a press release received by Kompas.com on Saturday (4/4/2026). “Then those entering the Sekerak area, I want to check one by one the villages I mentioned earlier and then how to resolve them,” he added. During the inspection, Tito directly viewed the progress of temporary housing (huntara) construction in several villages, including Sekumur. “Hopefully the weather supports so that by the end of next week, all huntara on their respective lands can be built by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB),” Tito said. In addition to housing construction, the government is also ensuring various forms of assistance are provided to affected communities, such as food provisions, household appliances, and economic stimuli. Tito also highlighted other basic needs, such as the provision of clean water, which will be fulfilled through the construction of bore wells by BNPB and the PRR Task Force. This step is based on community aspirations hoping for assistance with clean water sources. He continued that plans for permanent housing (huntap) will be built centrally in line with community aspirations who desire relocation from disaster-prone areas. “Earlier I already heard directly from the community as well as from the village head because it is considered a vulnerable area on the riverbank. Therefore, the community wishes for permanent housing to be built in the form of a complex,” he said.