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134Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesiarich natural resources, with minimum return to the hostcommunities, which contributed to the wealth and power ofthe central government and to the alienation of the hostpopulations, were the main reasons for its separatist movementunder the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).Military operations led to over 50,000 lives lost on both sides,or equivalent to four or five lives lost every day for 30 years. Amid such an extremely tense and bloody situation, on Dec.26, 2004, an earthquake and tsunami devastated Acehphysically, economically, psychologically, and socially. About220,000 were killed or missing, and more than 550,000 werehomeless or displaced.Under such traumatic circumstances, Vice President JusufKalla, with the support of then-President Susilo BambangYudhoyono, managed to immediately create a new turningpoint and bridge the multiple complexities of human sufferingand tragedy as a unifying factor for peace and dignity. Facilitated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, thegovernment, represented by then law and human rights minister Hamid Awaludin and GAM%u2019s prime minister Malik Mahmud, agreed to negotiate to end the three decades of conflict. After five rounds of peace talks between Jan. 25 and August2005, finally on Aug. 15 that year the Helsinki Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) was finally signed.The government and GAM confirmed their commitmentto a peaceful, comprehensive, and sustainable solution to theconflict in Aceh with dignity for all. Both sides committed themselves to creating conduciveconditions in Aceh within the unitary republic. The bloodshed wasto stop for the Acehnese to start the road to justice and prosperity.