ABSTRACT
The Acehnese people used their newfound political freedom to elect a former GAM rebel as Aceh’s new governor. Irwandi Yusuf, an elephant veterinarian by profession, had been in jail for his role in the conflict when the tsunami struck, and had escaped through the roof of his prison cell during the disaster. From there he fled to Sweden, where the Free Aceh Movement’s political leadership resided in exile, and only returned to Aceh (this time a free man) after GAM and the Indonesian government signed the historic Helsinki peace agreement.
