Jakarta (AsiaNews) Last Saturday, October 16, hundreds of Christians fled their homes after an attack by Muslim activists. Burnt out shells is all that is left of homes and churches torched during clashes between Christians and Muslims in Salu Assing, a predominantly village in Mambi district. Uhailanu, a village in Aralle district, is also predominantly Muslim. Here, too, people were attacked, 11 of them jumping in a nearby river for safety.
Mambi, Aralle and Tabulahan are three districts in the newly-created West Sulawesi province. They were recently incorporated into Mamasa, a new regency created out of Polewali Mamasa regency which was split into Mamasa proper and the new Polewali Mamasa.
This forced integration is at the root of the recent clashes since the new entity is predominantly Christian and local Muslims oppose the decision. They are afraid that the Christian community would deny them the right to attend mosques and deprive them of employment opportunities.
Mamasa is 400 km south of the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar. The new regency was created by the Megawati government in 2002 but was in the planning since 1997.
The violent incidents were triggered by the inauguration of a new West Sulewesi province on October 16. Home affairs Minister Hari Sabarno, who was present at the ceremony, asked Oentarto Sindung Moewardi, the governor of the new province, to intervene and put to a stop to the unrest that has been affecting the area for some time. During the ceremony, residents from mostly Muslim Mandar demonstrated against the minister.
The spark that triggered the violent incidents came from local leader Andi Jalilu who raised banners in anti-annexationist Muslim villages proclaiming that Mambi, Aralle e Tabulahan districts were now part of Mamasa regency.
He and another 11 people have been arrested by police and charged with causing disorder and attacking an anti-annexationist village. In several villages, police also confiscated 50 home-made firearms, 100 spears, machetes and arrows.
Tensions remain high in Aralle and Mambi districts. Ali Baal, Polewali Mamasa Regent, confirmed that about a thousand people fled northern Aralle seeking refuge in Mambi's Natula village. Altogether about 1,500 people have fled from the border area between the two districts leaving it almost deserted.
Relations between Christians and Muslims in Sulawesi have been marred by in recent years by violence. In 2001 an accord was signed bringing communal violence to an end but clashes continue and tensions remain high.
The Sulewesi Islands are home to some cells linked to Laskar Jihad, an Islamist organisation tied to Osama bin Laden.
(M.H. contributed to this article)