Pasukan Jihad

The rioting in Ternate started in late December, around the same time as the violence in Tobelo City. It began with a small incident on Monday 27 December at night, when the Pasukan Kuning guarding the Golkar Party building beat up a car driver who had hit their roadblock. The driver ran away to his home in Kampung Pisang. Later that night, he came back with a large group of youths from Kampung Pisang and Tanah Tinggi, and attacked the Pasukan Kuning near the Ternate Municipality offices. They threw stones and spears at each other until a police unit (Brimob) tried to stop them. But when the unit commander was hurt by an explosion, the police left and the fighting continued.^[6]

During the fighting, the Kampung Pisang youths set fire to the ‘Maria Bintang Laut’ Catholic school, where dozens of the Pasukan Kuning were staying. The school was one of the few Catholic buildings that had survived the November riot. After that, both sides withdrew, the Pasukan Kuning to the Golkar Party building, their main base in the city center, and the growing numbers of Pasukan Putih to an area near the governor's office on Ahmad Yani Street.^[6]

The next day, 28 December, at 5 a.m., hundreds of the Pasukan Kuning gathered with petrol cans and attacked Kampung Pisang, where the youths who had fought them lived. They burned down houses in Kampung Pisang and Maliaro, killing two people and forcing the residents to flee.33 Then they moved south to Tanah Tinggi and Takoma. A large number of Pasukan Putih assembled near the sports stadium and called for more people to join them. Kampung Pisang had many migrants from Tidore, whose houses were burned by the Pasukan Kuning. This news reached Tidore and angered their relatives there. Abu Bakar Wahid told hundreds of young men that the Sultan of Ternate was burning Tidores’ houses and had taken over Ternate. Many men from Tidore came to Ternate by boat to help the Makians and Tidores fight the Pasukan Kuning. They used spears, bows and arrows, homemade firearms and bombs to push the Pasukan Kuning back north. The Pasukan Kuning were outnumbered by the Pasukan Putih, who had thousands of men from Tidore. They could not hold their positions in the city center. By late afternoon, the Pasukan Putih had driven them back to the sultan's palace in the north-east of the city. The sultan arranged for the remaining Christians in Ternate to be evacuated by ship from Dufa Dufa to Halmahera. The Pasukan Putih destroyed the Golkar building, which was the base of the Pasukan Kuning. They said that Golkar should have been neutral, but it seemed to support the sultan in the conflict. They also destroyed a small building near the palace that was the headquarters of the Pasukan Kuning's youth wing. Many of them wanted to burn down the palace too, but Haji Kotu stopped them and said that the palace was a cultural treasure of North Maluku.^[2][6]

The same day, 28 December, the interim governor of North Maluku, Surasmin, asked the Sultan of Tidore to stop the Tidores from fighting.The Sultan of Tidore and his delegation, including hundreds of traditional guards, came to Ternate that afternoon. He ordered to protect the new governor's office, saying that it was important for the whole North Maluku community. He also went to the Sultan of Ternate's palace, where the fighting stopped at 5 p.m. The leaders of the Pasukan Kuning and the Pasukan Putih met in front of the palace and made peace. The Pasukan Kuning took off their yellow hats as a sign of surrender. The Sultan of Tidore and the Pasukan Putih entered the palace and made the Sultan of Ternate sign a document taking responsibility for the conflict and promising to rebuild the houses that were burned. After that, the Pasukan Kuning and the Pasukan Putih went back to their homes. Mudaffar Syah left Ternate for Jakarta soon after. He said he was not forced to leave, but just went on a business trip. But many people said that he had to give up his authority in Ternate and North Maluku. The conflict killed between 18 and 200 people. Many more were injured. It also destroyed 241 houses, mostly in Kampung Pisang and near the palace. There were no military or police personnel during the fighting. In January, the provincial parliament removed Mudaffar Syah as parliamentary chairman. Some of his supporters had fled or changed their minds or been threatened. He was blamed for causing the violence and using it for his political goals. A North Malukan sociologist and a human rights commission called for an investigation of his role in the violence, but he was never charged with anything.^[6]

After the takeover of Ternate, the Pasukan Jihad established mobilization centres at Muhajrin mosque and Toboko mosque in Ternate, and one in Tidore, the village of Tomalou, where Abu Bakar Wahid, the leader of the militia, lived. The militia grew to 18,000 members, including IDPs and former Pasukan Kuning members. It planned to attack Christian villages on Halmahera by speedboats.^[7]

On 8 January 2000, the PJ left Tomalou for Sidangoli, where they clashed with the Christian Kaos, who had taken Malifut a few months prior. The Kaos had heard about the PJ's departure and had gathered at Dum Dum village. The PJ won the initial battles and prepared to attack Malifut, but were stopped from advancing by the police and army^[7]

From January to March 2000, the PJ fought several battles with the Christians in Malifut and Galela. They attacked Jailolo, Makete, Soatobaru and Mamua, but were repelled by the Christian reinforcements. They also received reinforcements from Ternate and Tidore, increasing their number in halmahera to 5,000.^[7]

On 29 May 2000, the PJ launched a failed attack on Duma. On 19 June 2000, they attacked again and succeeded in taking over the village. On 26 June 2000, an emergency was declared in North Maluku and the PJ was dissolved.^[7]