Aceh Rebel Leader Slain on Eve of Indonesian Truce

A cease-fire took effect Friday in Indonesia’s separatist Aceh province, but the historic step toward more autonomy was overshadowed by a rebel leader’s assassination.

In neighboring Malaysia, police said unidentified gunmen killed Teuku Don Zulfahri, head of the Malaysian chapter of the Free Aceh Movement, in a restaurant Thursday night.

The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, but a rebel spokesman in Aceh accused the Indonesian military. A military spokesman in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, rejected the accusations.

Hasballah Saad, Indonesia’s human rights minister, said the killing could be a result of a factional war among the rebels. “But I am not going to speculate as to who killed him,” he said.

Indonesia and the Aceh rebels last month signed a three-month cease-fire in Geneva aimed at ending 2 1/2 decades of violence in the northwestern province. Aceh was relatively calm Friday. However, police said separatists bombed and destroyed a police building near the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

In a joint statement Friday, Indonesian police Col. Ridhwan Karim and rebel leader Nashiruddin Ahmad promised to “work together in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and to improve the security in Aceh.”