EU Mission to Aceh
Overview
Background
European initiatives
Key issues in European debate
Timeline
Sources
Overview
The tsunami that swept across Indonesia in December 2004 killing hundreds of thousands brought unexpected hope to the troubled territory of Aceh, the site of a long-running bloody civil war. The event’s sheer horror and the need to cooperate on the subsequent large-scale humanitarian operation brought about tentative reconciliation between the government of Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka – GAM). An August 15, 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlined steps to peace such as demilitarization and troop withdrawal, and the European Union along with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) deployed a 250-strong monitoring mission to observe its implementation.
Background
The war in Aceh raged on and off since Indonesia’s independence in 1945. (Aceh had already been at war with the Dutch colonial government at the time of independence, and with the Portuguese and the British who preceded the Dutch.) The territory stands apart from most of Indonesia both in terms of geography (it constitutes the northernmost tip of the archipelago forming Indonesia) and its cultural and religious heritage. Aceh practices a stricter form of Islam than the rest of the country and tends to view the dominant Sumatran culture of Indonesia as alien. Its inhabitants (4 million, according to a 2000 census) have long resisted any attempts at outside control and established the Free Aceh Movement in 1976 which in recent years grew to form a de facto government with its own tax system and armed forces.
A brief window for peace in Aceh seemed to have opened after
the collapse of the regime of President Suharto in Indonesia
in 1998. The nearly thirty years of dictatorship with its
emphasis on secularism and military power brought misery to
the territory; at least a thousand people died (Human Rights
Watch estimate) during the 1990-98 counterinsurgency operations
mounted by the Indonesian army and paramilitary forces.
Suharto, however, was toppled in a 1998
revolution, and President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who took
power in 2001 after a period of turmoil, openly campaigned
to stop the war in Aceh. In December 2002 Indonesia and GAM
signed the
Cessation of Hostilities Framework Agreement , which
brought in international monitors. However, the peace process
failed to make progress on the key issue – Aceh’s political
status – and ultimately proved short-lived. After months of
fruitless negotiations President Megawati authorized new full-scale
military operations against GAM in May 2003. In hindsight, the collapsed 2002 agreement represented a false
start rather than a complete failure. Violence never returned
to the pre-2002 levels and even before the tsunami the relations
between the restive territory and the government were on the
mend. The International
Crisis Groupreports that in October 2004 the new Indonesian
government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice
President Yusuf Kalla had already reached in secret a deal
with exiled leaders of GAM on ending the hostilities.
The subsequent tsunami helped break the
remaining resistance to peace and gave both sides the cover
to make the necessary difficult political choices. Immediately
following the tragedy, GAM declared unilateral ceasefire so
as to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. It also sent
representatives to talks in Helsinki, moderated by an independent
non-governmental organization, the Crisis
Management Initiative , between Indonesia and Aceh exiles.
Five rounds of talks produced the August 2005 Memorandum of
Understanding, formally ending violence and prompting the
deployment of the AMM.
European Initiatives
The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) became operational on Sept. 15, 2005. The Mission’s main purpose, as the name suggests, is to observe the implementation of the MoU. It is acting on the invitation of the government of Indonesia and with the full support of the Free Aceh Movement. In particular, its job is to:
- monitor the demobilization of GAM and monitor and assist with the decommissioning and destruction of its weapons, ammunition and explosives;
- monitor the re-location of non-organic military forces and non-organic police troops;
- monitor the reintegration of active GAM members;
- monitor the human rights situation and provide assistance in this field in the context of the tasks set out in the above points;
- monitor the process of legislation change;
- rule on disputed amnesty cases;
- deal with complaints and alleged violations of the MoU;
- establish and maintain liaison and good cooperation with the parties.
AMM is not a peacekeeping force nor will it take on a facilitation or negotiation role, which remains with the Crisis Management Initiative. The European Union's Political and Security Committee (PSC) will exercise political control and strategic guidance, under responsibility of the Council of the EU. Head of the Mission (HoM), a seasoned Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith, has been appointed by Council of the European Union and is supported by a Principal Deputy from Thailand, Lieutenant General Nipat Thonglek, and two EU deputies from Finland (Operations) and Italy (Amnesty, Reintegration and Human Rights).
HoM reports to the Council of European Union (through the PSC) and to Javier Solana, Secretary General and High Representative of the Council of the European Union. Its initial mandate is six months long; the mission is set to conclude on March 15, 2006.
While AMM is a civilian force and its observers are unarmed,
in a nod to the difficult realities on the ground it includes
a number of former military personnel. Feith himself describe
AMM as “a civilian [force] in nature but with military skills.”(The
Indonesian government bears responsibility for the security
of AMM observers.) In terms of national composition, AMM is
a fully integrated EU-ASEAN operation under EU leadership,
with 130 personnel from the EU as well as Norway and Switzerland
and 96 from ASEAN (the five contributing ASEAN countries are
Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).
Mission headquarters are in Banda Aceh, with
monitoring cells through 10 District Offices geographically
distributed throughout Aceh. The mission also includes 4 mobile
decommissioning teams.
AMM already oversaw a successful disarmament of the Aceh rebels; GAM turned over the last piece of weaponry required under the MoU on Dec. 19, 2005. The political will in Indonesia and Aceh to fully implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) appears strong.
Key Issues in European Debate
AMM had been criticised during debates in the European Parliament as falling too far outside the traditional zone of European influence. A number of European parliamentarians raised concerns about the costs and benefits of engagement in the area. However, the relatively limited nature of the mission and the success of the peace process diffused most concerns.
Timeline
- Dec. 19, 2005 – Free Aceh Movement turns
over the last weapon require by the Memorandum of Understanding
- Sept. 15, 2005 - The Aceh Monitoring
Mission (AMM) becomes operational
- Aug. 15, 2005 - Memorandum of Understanding
signed between the Government of Indonesia and the Free
Aceh Movement; it outlines steps to peace
- Dec. 28, 2004 – Free Aceh Movement declared
a ceasefire to allow humanitarian supplies to proceed
- Dec. 26 2004 - Tsunami sweeps across
the Indian Ocean killing hundreds of thousands, mostly in
Indonesia. Aceh is among the hardest hit areas
- May 2003 - After months of unsuccessful
negotiations President Megawati authorizes new full-scale
military operations against GAM.
- December 2002 - Indonesia and GAM sign
the Cessation of Hostilities Framework Agreement
- 1976 - Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh
Merdeka – GAM) established
- 1945 - Indonesia achieves independence
from Holland
Sources for further reading
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