Thousands of people gathered at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh on August 15, 2026, to mark the 21st anniversary of the peace agreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The commemoration, however, saw rising political tension as some participants raised the red, black, and white crescent-star flag of GAM and chanted slogans calling for “Free Aceh.” In a provocative display, others lowered the Indonesian national flag and replaced it with the former separatist flag, highlighting the ongoing friction between local autonomy and independence aspirations two decades after the peace deal.
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