WELDD's blog

Day 2 of the 16 Days Blogging Series:

Aceh is Special Territory of Indonesia situated on the island of Sumatra. Between 1976 and 2005, an insurgency was waged in Aceh by the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or GAM), who wanted independence from the rule of the capital Jakarta, and from Indonesia. After the devastating tsunami in December 2004, GAM declared a unilateral cease-fire, and in 2005 a peace agreement was reached, granting Aceh special autonomy within Indonesia in return for GAM’s disarmament. Here Donna Swita Hardiani, from Solidaritas Perempuan (Women’s Solidarity) recalls her experiences in Aceh during the immediate years after the peace agreement.

Day 1 of the 16 Days Blogging Series:

I wake up every day to find the street displaying the polarization in the country. I see all the walls covered by pro Muslim Brotherhood words or by words inciting nationalism and supporting the army and President Sisi. I walk by the massive amount of military tanks and soldiers with heavy guns, covering their faces.

‘Give women free guns!’ - It was one of those headlines that catches your eye, but not in a particularly good way. I read on with a feeling of unease I have learnt to associate with discussions of domestic violence in Turkey.