Insurgency in Aceh

Insurgency in Aceh

Female soldiers of the Free Aceh Movement with GAM commander Abdullah Syafi'i, 1999.
Date4 December 1976 – 15 August 2005
(28 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days)
Location
Result
  • Indonesian tactical victory
Belligerents
Free Aceh Movement
Commanders and leaders
Suharto (1976–1998)
B. J. Habibie (1998–1999)
Abdurrahman Wahid (1999–2001)
Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001–2004)
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004–2005)
Try Sutrisno
Endriartono Sutarto
Sutiyoso
Bambang Darmono
Da'i Bachtiar
Hasan Tiro
Malik Mahmud
Zaini Abdullah
Teungku Lah 
Muzakir Manaf
Sofyan Dawood
Ayah Muni 
Ishak Daud 
Abu Arafah 
Strength
12,000 (1990)
30,000 (2001)
15,000 (2002)
35,000–50,000 (2003)
25 (1976)
200 (1979–1989)
750 (1991)
15,000–27,000 (1999)
3,000 (2005)
Casualties and losses
147 killed

Civilians and military killed:
100 (1976–1979)
2,000–10,000 (1991–1992)
393 (1993)
1,041 (2000)
1,700 (2001)
1,230 (2002)

Total: 15,000 total dead

The insurgency in Aceh, officially designated the Rebellion in Aceh (Indonesian: Pemberontakan di Aceh) by the Indonesian government, was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The aftermath of a military offensive in 2003 and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami brought a peace agreement and an eventual end to the insurgency.