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View all search resultsAceh flag clash exposes frustration over central govt’s slow flood recovery
A clash between a group of people and security personnel erupted in Banda Aceh following the raising of a flag associated with a former separatist movement crescent in place of the national flag over the weekend, fueling tensions ahead of Indonesia’s Independence Day.
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Angry protesters shout at soldiers as they remove a Free Aceh Movement (GAM) flag on Aug. 15, 2026, displayed alongside the Indonesian national flag during a rally at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh. Thousands of people gathered to mark the 21st anniversary of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) peace agreement, which ended nearly three decades of conflict. The raising of the separatist-linked flag, although not explicitly banned by the 2005 peace deal, remains a highly controversial issue, with central government authorities often prohibiting its display. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
Growing frustration over the central government’s slow post-flood recovery in Aceh is believed to have prompted the clash between a group of people and security personnel over the weekend, as the province marked more than two decades since a peace deal ended a bloody separatist conflict.
The incident occurred during the annual remembrance event “Aceh Peace Day” at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh on Saturday, when people celebrated the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) following decades of conflict.
At Saturday’s event, a young man reportedly climbed a flagpole and replaced the Indonesian flag with the crescent moon and star flag, which was historically associated with the now-dissolved GAM and has remained politically sensitive.
Military personnel guarding the mosque reportedly ordered the flag removed before firing warning shots into the air. The gunfire sent people in the mosque complex scrambling and prompted some to chase the troops down to the Banda Aceh legislative office.
A group of attendees later threw stones toward both military and police personnel equipped with shields and riot gear. Police soon used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. A motorcycle belonging to a soldier was reportedly burned, while one participant was hospitalized with a head injury.
Aceh Police detained several people following the confrontation, but later released them. The Aceh administration meanwhile said seven people were injured in the clash.
