F

ear has gripped residents after a subdistrict head went missing in Lore Timur district, Poso regency, Central Sulawesi. It is believed he was kidnapped by the Santoso-led armed civilian group.

Andi Baide, 69, the head of Kalimago subdistrict, Lore Timur, went missing after he left his house to look for firewood in Napu Forest.

Residents are concerned that he may have been kidnapped by the Santoso group, which is thought to be based in the Lore mountain range, Poso, because last December four locals also disappeared in a forest near the village. Of the four missing, one was found dead and buried in the forest.

The head of Sedoa subdistrict in Lore Timur, Albertus Megati, said Andi entered the forest at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and had not returned home by Thursday afternoon.

'€œThis morning, locals, district officers as well as police and military personnel searched for Pak Andi in the woods where he went missing. We found no trace,'€ Albertus said by phone on Thursday.

Residents have since accused security personnel of not being serious about maintaining security in the region, despite a current 1,000-strong operation to hunt down terrorists.

'€œWe are unsettled that incidents like this continue to happen. We demand that the authorities take their work more seriously,'€ Albertus said.

Central Sulawesi Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said the police had been searching for the missing man in the nearby forest.

Previously on Dec. 10, 2014, Obet Sabola and his uncle, Yunus Penini of Sedoa subdistrict, went missing and have yet to be found.

Later, Harun Tobimbi of Tamadue subdistrict also went missing. He was reportedly taken hostage by the Santoso group in Tamadue subdistrict, Lore Timur, together with villagers Gara Taudu and Fiktor Polaba.

Gara was shot dead by the armed group while Fiktor escaped after being sent to buy rice for the group. Harun was kept hostage in an attempt to force Fiktor to return with the food.

A manhunt targeting the group was launched last week involving 1,000 police personnel. Scheduled to last 60 days, the operation has yet to yield results. The operation is focused on catching 20 people on the most-wanted list who have been involved in terrorism and armed violence in Poso.

Violence has escalated in recent months, with five civilians reportedly killed by the armed group in December and members of the gang coming down from the mountains to steal food in the villages.

The group, which is believed to have connections with the Islamic State (IS) network, was also involved in a gunfight with a joint police-military patrol in Tangkura subdistrict, South Poso Pesisir, last month.

Operations against terrorism in Poso have been staged for the past 14 years, but no significant results have been achieved. The police have yet to arrest members of the Santoso-led gang, which has been operating in the region for the last four years.

From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Poso was the scene of sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians that claimed thousands of lives on both sides. Although the conflict officially ended with the signing of the Malino Accords in 2001 and 2002, the region remains a hotbed of terrorism.