Indonesia's Aceh rebels ready for war

Acehnese rebels stand at their hideout in the Pidie district, Aceh province

In this story: 1,000 government troops dispatched Non-Acehnese to leave RELATED STORIES, SITES

By staff and wire reports

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province have said they are ready for war with Jakarta, dashing hopes of a peaceful end to the country's long rebellion.

"Due to the fact that Indonesia has declared war through their new policy which has the purpose of slaughtering our people . . . we declare we are ready for war," Sofyan Daud, a deputy war commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) said.

"But we are in a waiting position. We will only strike after they make their move."

Last week Jakarta unveiled new security plans for the restive territory but emphasized that they would not resemble the fatal military operations in the 1990s which analysts say helped boost GAM's cause.

The GAM statement, seen as a virtual declaration of war, may finally end a shaky ceasefire, which has held, although often violated by both sides, since the earlier military operations, and was seen as likely to trigger a tough reaction from the Indonesian military.

1,000 government troops dispatched

On Sunday, over 1,000 government troops were hurriedly dispatched to the Aceh province to take part in a crackdown against separatist rebels, as the guerrillas vowed to defeat the Indonesian army in battle.

Indonesian soldiers in army training in the hills outside of Bogor, West Java

Eleven companies of Rangers -- specially trained in counterinsurgency warfare -- were flown out of a military airfield near the West Java capital of Bandung.

Indonesian commanders hope that the reinforcements will be able to tip the military balance after a series of reverses in recent months.

The 2,000 rebels of the Free Aceh Movement have made steady gains against 30,000 demoralized and badly trained soldiers and paramilitary police garrisoned in the province.

Last month they succeeded for the first time in occupying a strategically important town. Although government forces quickly retook the town, the escalating combat forced U.S. energy giant Exxon-Mobil Corp. to shut down its natural gas plant in Aceh.

Pressure to halt the rebel's movement mounted after Exxon-Mobile's shut down.

The province on the northern tip of Sumatra island accounts for a third of Indonesia's exports of liquefied gas, and the closure could have a serious impact on the country's moribund economy.

The country's second-largest LNG producer last week said it would resume production only when security conditions improved in Aceh.

Utilities in Japan and South Korea have already been seeking alternative supplies.

Daud has said he wanted all Indonesian and foreign companies to shut down their businesses which locals considered as Jakarta's way of plundering their province's resources.

Non-Acehnese to leave

Abu Sofyan, a rebel commander in North Aceh, vowed on Saturday to prepare an all-out war against the government troops by mobilizing part-time guerillas throughout the strife-torn region.

"Our tens of thousands of guerillas who have already been well trained will be deployed in Pidie, North Aceh and East Aceh," Sofyan said, referring to the worst-hit districts.

Sofyan also warned non-Acehnese people, especially settlers from Indonesia's dominant island of Java, to leave the province.

"Military operations in Aceh ... have claimed the lives of unarmed civilians," Sofyan said.

"Therefore, we call on the non-Acehnese to leave [Aceh] immediately."

Indonesian administration in the province of four million people has virtually collapsed after thousands of government officials brought in from other parts of Indonesia fled the fighting.

In the latest violence at least four people -- including three suspected rebels -- were killed in separate incidents in northern Aceh.

The war has claimed about 100 lives each month since the beginning of this year. More than 6,000 have died in 26 years of separatist fighting.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

Indonesian forces kill girl and father
April 18, 2001
Indonesia asks Exxon to resume Aceh operations
April 16, 2001
Indonesian crackdown on Aceh rebels
April 12, 2001

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