White flags raised in Aceh Tamiang as flood-hit residents signal desperation

INDONESIA: Residents affected by prolonged flooding in Aceh Tamiang Regency have raised white flags along sections of the Medan–Banda Aceh road, a gesture they describe as a symbol of surrender amid worsening living conditions and delays in assistance.

KompasTV reported on Tuesday (Dec. 16, 2025) that the makeshift flags—fashioned from any fabric residents could find—were erected at several locations, including Seuneubok Dalam, Matang Upah, Paya Awe and Pahlawan villages.

Edi, a resident of Aceh Tamiang, said the community had endured nearly three weeks of hardship, marked by power outages, lack of clean water and limited communication.

“What we need right now is clean water. The power is out, so there is no signal if we want to communicate,” he said, adding that exhaustion had taken a toll but residents were trying to remain resilient.

Another resident, Irwansyah, said the flags reflected economic distress and unmet basic needs. “The white flag is a sign of our surrender—economy, aid, infrastructure—we need all of those things,” he said. “In war, the white flag means surrender. That is what it represents for us now.”

The display has drawn national attention, though senior officials said they had yet to receive formal reports.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian told reporters on Tuesday that he was unaware of residents raising white flags and would seek clarification. He also declined to comment on a reported request by the Aceh provincial government for assistance from United Nations agencies.

The flags appeared along parts of the Trans-Sumatra highway linking Aceh Tamiang with Langsa City, where residents say the gesture conveys frustration, anger and appeals for recognition.

“The white flags represent many things, including anger, frustration, hope and demands to be treated as citizens,” said Muhammad Alkaf, a Langsa resident.

Beyond Aceh Tamiang, analysts warn that flooding and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra have triggered a humanitarian crisis of unusual scale.

Prof. Eko Teguh Paripurno, Director of the Disaster Management Research Center at UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, said the disaster’s impact may exceed that of the 2004 Aceh tsunami in terms of geographic reach and disruption.

Speaking at a public dialogue earlier this month, he said the floods had fractured supply chains across vast inland areas, isolating communities and threatening access to food, medicine and fuel.

Unlike the tsunami, which devastated coastal areas before waters receded, the current flooding has left water lingering on land, cutting off roads and bridges and turning affected regions into “islands,” Paripurno said.

The immediate risks include food and nutrition shortages, particularly for children and vulnerable groups, while longer-term impacts include the destruction of livelihoods in agriculture and trade.

Similar assessments have emerged from the field. In a video shared on social media, Hasan bin Ilhammd relayed the account of his father, a doctor who served during the 2004 tsunami and recently returned from Aceh Tamiang.

“With a tsunami, the water comes in one massive wave and then recedes,” Hasan quoted his father as saying.

“With this flood, the water settles on land, cutting off access to help. People die slowly because of isolation.” Hasan added that residents who survived the tsunami say they have never experienced hunger on this scale.

Paripurno urged the government to respond with integrated, large-scale measures that go beyond emergency relief and physical reconstruction, warning that fragmented and short-term responses would be insufficient.

“This is not only about damaged buildings,” he said. “It is about the survival of communities.”

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the death toll from floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra has risen to 1,030, up 14 from the previous day, as search operations continue across 52 affected districts.

BNPB official Abdul Muhari said seven new deaths were recorded in Aceh, six in North Sumatra and one in West Sumatra, while 206 people remain missing.

The number of displaced residents has fallen to 608,940, most of them in Aceh, and at least 186,488 houses have been damaged.