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View all search resultsSumatra disasters victims sue govt over slow response, recovery
Through the citizen lawsuit, the plaintiffs demand the court order the government to push for a more serious and coordinated disaster response in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, which suffered damage from cyclone-induced floods and landslides in November 2025.
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An aerial view shows flood damage to a residential area in Meurah Dua, Pidie Jaya regency, Aceh on Feb. 22, 2026, after devastating cyclone-induced floods and landslides struck northern Sumatra in November 2025. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
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ictims of the 2025 floods and landslides in northern Sumatra have filed a lawsuit against President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, accusing the government of failing to properly respond to one of the country’s worst ecological disasters in recent years.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) by survivors from Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra. They were supported by a coalition of legal aid institutes (LBH) and environmental groups convened under the banner of the Justice for Sumatra Advocacy Team.
Alfi Syukri of Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH Padang) said the ecological disaster affecting the three provinces remained unsolved, with many residents still facing poor living conditions, limited access to basic needs and uncertainty over recovery efforts.
He added that plaintiffs urged the court to order the government to immediately declare the incident a national disaster to ensure a more serious and coordinated recovery process, including support for victims, repair of public infrastructure and environmental rehabilitation.
“This citizen lawsuit was filed to urge the state to take responsibility for addressing the situation comprehensively from upstream to downstream, including permit evaluations, forest and watershed restoration, as well as the protection of affected communities,” Alfi said in a statement on Thursday.
Devastating flash floods and landslides struck many parts of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra in November last year, after Cyclone Senyar over the Malacca Strait triggered torrential rains and powerful winds in the region.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 166,000 others were displaced as the disasters destroyed homes, roads and other public infrastructure. Aceh became the worst-hit region, according to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
