History
An Aceh fort after capture by the Dutch in a 1901 photograph
An ancient name for Sumatra was Swarna Dwipa, (Sanskrit for Isle of Gold), apparently because mines in the Sumatran highlands were producing gold from fairly early times.
The province is located along the India-China sea trade route. By the seventh century, several trading towns on Aceh were flourishing—especially on the eastern coast—and were influenced by Indian religions. The most notable of these influences were the Srivijaya and the Sumudra. Srivijaya was a Buddhist monarchy centered in what is now Palembang. Dominating the region through trade and conquest from the seventh to the ninth century, the kingdom helped spread the Malay culture throughout Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. The empire was thalassocratic, a maritime power that extended its influence from island to island.
Srivijaya influence waned in the eleventh century. The island was then subject to conquests from Javanese kingdoms, first Singhasari, and subsequently Majapahit. At the same time, Islam made its way to Sumatra, spreading through contacts with Arabs and Indian traders. By the late thireenth century, the monarch of Samudra kingdom (now in Aceh) had converted to Islam. Ibn Battuta, who visited the kingdom during his journey, pronounced the kingdom "Sumatra," hence the name of the island. Samudra was succeeded by the powerful Aceh Sultanate, which survived to the twentieth century.
From the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Sultanate of Aceh was involved in an almost continuous power struggle first with Portugal, and then, from the eighteenth century, with British and Dutch colonial interests. At the end of the eighteenth century, Aceh lost control of Kedah and Pinang on the Malay Peninsula to the British.
By the early nineteenth century, Aceh had become an increasingly influential power due to its strategic location. In the 1820s, it produced over half of the world's supply of black pepper, bringing new wealth for the sultanate. In 1819 the British government had acquired exclusive trading privileges with the sultanate, but a subsequent Anglo-Dutch agreement (1824) made the sultanate virtually a protectorate of the Netherlands. Local resistance to Dutch control culminated in a long and bitter conflict (1873-1908). Estimated total casualties on the Aceh side range from 50,000 to 100,000 dead, and over a million wounded, with the Dutch retaining some power.
Colonial influence in the remote highland areas was never substantial, however, and limited guerrilla resistance remained. Led mostly by the religious ulema, or mullahs, intermittent fighting continued until about 1910, and parts of the province were still not pacified when the Dutch Indies became independent Indonesia following the end of the Japanese occupation.
Aftermath of the tsunami in Aceh
During the Indonesian National Revolution after World War II, when the Dutch military attempted to regain control of its former colony, Dutch forces did not attempt to invade Aceh. Upon independence, Indonesian troops were dispatched to annex the region, causing resentment over what some Acehnese viewed as foreign occupation. From then, there were periodic armed conflicts between the Indonesian military and local forces fighting for greater independence.
In 1959 the Indonesian government gave Aceh a "special territory" (daerah istimewa) status, giving it a greater degree of independence from the central government in Jakarta than most other regions. For example, the Aceh government is empowered to construct a legal system independent of the national government. In 2003, a form of sharia, or Islamic law, was formally introduced.
A 50-foot high (15 meters) tsunami following a 9.0-magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004, devastated the western coast and islands of Sumatra, particularly Aceh province. While estimates vary, approximately 230,000 people were killed in Aceh, and about 400,000 were left homeless. While parts of Banda Aceh were unscathed, the areas closest to the water, especially in Kampung Jawa, were destroyed. In 2005 there was an 8.7 magnitude aftershock.
Indonesian refugees gather under an approaching helicopter to receive food and supplies
Politics, the secession movement
Within the Republic of Indonesia, Aceh is governed as a special territory (daerah istimewa), an administrative designation intended to give the area increased independence from the central government in Jakarta. The capital and largest city in Aceh is Banda Aceh, located on the western coast near the northern tip of Sumatra. Other major cities include Sabang, Lhokseumawe, and Langsa. Administratively, the province is subdivided into seventeen regencies and four municipalities.
Aceh has a long history of resistance to foreign control. Many Acehnese believe that most of the benefits of the region's petroleum exports go to the Jakarta government and foreign corporations. There is a sociocultural divide as well; the Acehnese practice Islam, while the rest of the archipelago tends to blend Islam with animism. The secular nationalism of Suharto's New Order regime (1965-1998) was viewed as a cover for Javanese chauvinism. Groups began to push for greater autonomy or complete separation. Out of these emerged the armed secessionists of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Conflict between the GAM and Indonesian forces led to the imposition of martial law. A Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed in 2002. This collapsed in May 2003, however, and the government re-introduced martial law and began a large-scale offensive and occupation. Widespread human rights abuses were alleged.
After the tsunami in December 2004, a cease-fire was declared. A treaty was signed in Helsinki on August 15, 2005. The European Union and five Southeast Asian countries sent 250 observers. In December 2005, the military wing of GAM was disbanded, and the final pull-out of Jakarta troops took place. The Jakarta government has agreed to allow GAM—a purely Acehnese organization—to contest elections on a provincial level. Since February 2006, there has been peace in Aceh.