If peace does not come to Aceh…I’m afraid we will be destroyed worse than by the tsunami…Everything here begins with peace.”

Rufriadi,
a prominent Acehnese human rights lawyer. (via KAIROS)

The news of a peace deal between Aceh (Gam) rebels and the Indonesian goverenment, after about 6 months of talks, is being received with cautious optimism. After all, the last deal lasted for mere 6 months. This time around, however, things should be different. For one thing, last year’s tsunami (undoubtly) has factored in the priorities for people in the region. Below are excerpts from news articles shedding some light on the role of the tsunami (and the reconstruction effort in its wake) in forcing peace:

BBC

… the political context in the aftermath of December’s devastating tsunami has changed dramatically.

After a prolonged period first of martial law, and then of emergency rule, Aceh was forced to open its doors to outside help.

The international presence on the ground, and increased diplomatic interest from foreign governments, especially those donating considerable sums to Aceh’s reconstruction, shone a much needed spotlight onto a brutal conflict that much of the world had previously largely ignored.

International Herald Tribune

During the conflict, about 15,000 people, including many civilians, have been killed. Their villages have been razed and their palm oil plantations ruined. The even greater loss of life and property in the tsunami helped show both sides the futility of continued fighting.
The rebels, whose organization is known as the Free Aceh Movement, have suffered significant military defeats in the past 18 months. Their precarious position made them more willing to negotiate and to give up their long-held demand of independence.

CBC

The latest peace initiative was spurred by the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster, which killed an estimated 131,000 people in the Indonesian province.

CBC

Aceh’s urgent need for aid and reconstruction prompted both sides to resume talks in January 2005.

Guardian (Associated Press)

Lasting peace would ease the massive international relief effort in Aceh, still recovering from the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 130,000 people and destroyed hundreds of coastal villages and much of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

Hopefully, something positive could come out of this in Sri Lanka as well.