Banda Aceh (AsiaNews) The Indonesian Red Cross, the police and the army are pressing ahead with rescue operations in southeast Aceh after violent floods on Tuesday killed at least 16 people and left seven missing. Within the week, meanwhile, the second implementation phase of the peace accord between the rebels and the government should be concluded.
On 18 October the Simpag River overflowed following torrential rains, destroying more than 400 houses in several villages of the district of Semadan, in the regency of southeast Aceh. The flooding took place at night, while most of the victims slept.
The Red Cross was forced to stop its workers and to suspend evacuation operations in the area because of severe climatic conditions. Together with the military and police, volunteers distributed food to the displaced people. For the moment, 727 people have been put up at the Alas Leuser airport while another 420 found temporary shelter in the Kutacane sports complex.
Official sources said the worst-hit villages are Simpang Semadam, Semadam Awal, Semadam Asal, Titi Pasir and Lawe Beringin. The main road linking Medan in the north of the province to the southeast has been blocked. Three km of this road are blocked by mud and covered by landslides.
With more than 170,000 people killed, Aceh in northern Sumatra is the area which was hardest hit by the Tsunami on 26 December 2004. For decades, the province has been a battleground between separatists and national army forces. Just this week, the government have the green light for the second phase of implementation of the peace agreement signed by the parties in August. Jakarta will withdraw 6,000 soldiers from the region and the GAM rebels (Free Aceh Movement) will hand in more weapons. According to the agreement, by the end of the year, GAM will hand in 840 weapons to international peace monitors in four stages. Indonesia, meanwhile, will keep not more than 14,700 out of 30,000 soldiers deployed across the territory, and 9,100 policemen out of the 15,000 stationed there before the agreement.
The 30-year civil war in Aceh led to the death of 15,000 people, most of them civilians.
