Two weeks after a devastating cyclone swept across southeast Asia, thousands of people on Indonesia's Sumatra Island are still awaiting assistance. Local officials urge the government to declare a national emergency.

Sumatra

Residents of Aceh province in northern Sumatra are facing severe hardship after entire villages were buried by mud and floods caused by a rare cyclone. Local governments report being overwhelmed and unable to provide adequate relief due to limited manpower, equipment, and financial resources. 

With food, electricity, and clean water cut off for over half the province, many survivors remain in makeshift shelters and are calling for the government to declare a national disaster to enable more aid, including international assistance. Most current support comes from NGOs, crowdfunding, and neighboring communities, but the risk of starvation and disease is growing as thousands remain displaced and struggle with trauma.

Sumatra residents struggle as aid falls short after cyclone

Entire villages disappear under mud in Aceh province at the northern tip of Sumatra island. The devastation is overwhelming. Local leaders say they are struggling to respond. To recover from all this, the district government simply doesn't have the capacity in terms of manpower, equipment or financial resources. We just really don't have the ability. The floods have crippled more than half the province, cutting off food, electricity and clean water. After two weeks of struggling in makeshift shelters, residents are urging the government to declare a national disaster and open the door to international assistance. The Aceh government has already worked with outside partners so that aid can come in, but there's a law requiring all assistance to go through the central government. And as an ordinary citizen, I'm deeply disappointed. It's been two weeks and nothing has changed. For many here, the destruction reminds them of Aceh's tsunami two decades ago. By declaring a national disaster, the government could release extra funds to help speed up recovery efforts. For now, people here are trying to rebuild their lives, with help mostly coming from crowdfunding, NGOs and neighbours outside the flood zone. In some places in central and south-east Aceh, people are still struggling to get back on their feet with very limited supplies of food and power. As the situation drags on, they are now facing the risk of starvation and disease. Floods due to cyclones are rare in Indonesia. But many say the government's response has also been inadequate. We've never been exposed to this kind of disaster before. So we need to learn from other areas, other countries, like probably from Japan, Taiwan or other cyclone-prone areas or hurricane-prone areas. Meanwhile, thousands of people remain in shelters, hoping to soon return to their homes or what's left of them. And for many, the hardest struggle may not be rebuilding their homes, but coping with the trauma the storm left behind. I don't know where to go home. I no longer have a house or property. I just hope that the government will build us a house. That's my only wish. Amnawati and thousands of others are living in limbo. But while waiting for government relief, they must make do with whatever they have on hand.

For the first time, Amnesty International has accused Hamas and its allies of committing crimes against humanity, following an investigation into the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel. The organization found that 1,221 people were killed and said the mass killing of civilians amounted to extermination.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Amnesty accuses Hamas of 'crimes against humanity' for Oct. 7 attack

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Rise of AI

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Council of the City of Sydney

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Washington

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Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

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Caracas

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Tokyo

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Samraong

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Rakhine

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Oslo

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Kyiv

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Bangkok

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Minneapolis

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Canberra

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Pennsylvania

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Rome

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Manhattan

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Brussels

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London

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The International Criminal Court Tuesday handed down a sentence of 20 years to a Sudanese militia leader for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war two decades ago.

Breakdown