Bombs shake fragile Aceh peace
A struggle for post-war political and economic control of the resource-rich province of Aceh could be behind a spate of bombings that have raised tensions in the troubled region over the past few months.
Nurul Kamal, of the Aceh Institute think-tank, said it was difficult to say who was behind the attacks but it was obvious the bombings were linked to political or financial issues.
'Those responsible have targeted former conflict areas, where the flow of government funds is discussed or members of local councils are to be elected,' he said. 'They are well organised and act in groups.
'They might be members of GAM [Free Aceh Movement, the former rebel group] or other militias, we really don't know. What is certain is that the bombings are disturbing the peace process.'
Mr Kamal's analysis is shared by John Virgoe, director of the Southeast Asia Project of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
'I don't think there is one singular explanation for these bombings,' he said. 'There may be political reasons, as well as economical reasons, but it is too early to say for sure.'
The latest bomb exploded outside the office of the assistant chief of Bireuen district on Sunday.
No one was injured in the blast, which caused only minor damage.
On April, 29, a grenade exploded at the home of former GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawood in Lhokseumawe district. Mr Dawood's wife, Azirni, and his mother, Khatijah, were in the house but were not injured.
Another grenade was thrown at the headquarters of the police's elite mobile brigade in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh on April 24. A day earlier, the home of Lhokseumawe's deputy mayor, Suadi Yahya, also a former GAM member, was targeted.
In the same month, a north Aceh government office received a package containing a grenade and the Lhokseumawe mayor's office was sent a package containing four bullets.
No one has been arrested and no witnesses have come forward since the incidents, which came two years after the signing of the peace agreement between GAM and Jakarta.
The August 2005 Helsinki deal ended a 29-year secessionist conflict that left 30,000 dead.
The peace agreement paved the way for former GAM members to enter politics and their dominance was cemented in the first direct local elections last December.
But cracks within GAM have appeared and the group now seems increasingly split into factions.
Meanwhile, GAM's political strength in the province has angered those who supported Jakarta during the conflict.
Reports allege pro-Jakarta militias formed during the conflict still train in the province's mountainous interior and have regrouped under a new banner, the Communication Forum for Children of the Nation.
