Sumatra floods: Indonesians raise white flags as anger grows over slow flood aid

Indonesians raise white flags as anger grows over slow flood aid For weeks now, angry and distressed residents in Indonesia's westernmost province have been raising white flags over the state's slow response to a series of deadly floods. People in Indonesia's Aceh province are raising white flags as a call for international solidarity Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the worst-hit province which accounted for nearly half of the deaths, many still do not have ready access to clean water, food, electricity and medical supplies. In a sign of just how frustrating managing the crisis has become, the governor of North Aceh broke down publicly earlier this month. "Does the central government not know [what we're experiencing]? I don't understand," a tearful Ismail A Jalil said in front of cameras. But President Prabowo Subianto has refused foreign aid, insisting the situation is "under control". "Indonesia is capable of overcoming this disaster," he told his cabinet last week. Prabowo has also so far ignored calls to declare it a national disaster, which would unlock emergency funds and streamline relief efforts. Prabowo's administration has increasingly been criticised as reactive, disorganised and out of touch - adjectives that some analysts say have come to define his presidency, which he won in February 2024 on the back of populist pledges. Already this year, his flagship billion-dollar free school meals programme has been mired in controversy over mass food poisonings . In August and September, thousands of Indonesians took to the streets over unemployment and rising costs of living, in what were some of the biggest protests the country has seen in decades. And now his government's response to November's floods has become yet another challenge for the leader, even as his approval ratings have held steady at about 78%. Desperate calls for help Last Thursday, dozens of protesters rallied in Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, waving white flags and demanding that the central government opens the door to foreign aid. Standing among the crowd was a little girl holding a sheet of paper, which read: "I am just three years old, I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world." Though typically seen as a symbol for surrender, the white flags that have popped up across the province - on broken rooftops, along eroded riverbanks and outside mosques - are a call for international solidarity, protesters say. "The flags do not mean we are giving in. They are a distress signal to grab the attention of friends outside, to let them know the conditions in Aceh today are very bad," Husnul Khawatinnissa, who was at the rally, tells the BBC. Entire villages have been wiped out, while widespread damage to roads and infrastructure has also isolated many communities. Survivors have spoken of sickness and starvation. "How long more do we have to wash ourselves in mud and floodwaters," shouted Nurmi Ali, another demonstrator....

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