Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Home Affairs Ministry will summon South Aceh district chief Mirwan for questioning after he traveled to Saudi Arabia for an Umrah pilgrimage while his district was hit by severe floods, officials said Saturday.
Home Affairs Ministry spokesman Benni Irwan said Minister Tito Karnavian phoned Mirwan directly and was told the district head had left without approval from either the governor or the minister.“He said he will return tomorrow,” Irwan said.
A ministry team has been dispatched to Aceh to question Mirwan upon his arrival and verify whether he violated administrative procedures and legal obligations. Irwan said the ministry regretted Mirwan’s decision to leave the country during a major disaster.
“We learned from the media that Mirwan was performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia when South Aceh is one of the worst-affected regions,” he said.
He stressed the importance of local leaders being physically present during crises to ensure fast emergency response and coordination. “Regional heads must be with their communities,” he said.
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Irwan added that Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf had already denied Mirwan’s request for an overseas travel permit. The rejection was issued in Letter No. 100.1.4.2/18413 dated November 28, 2025.
The request was denied because Aceh is under a hydrometeorological disaster emergency, with South Aceh itself declaring emergency status for floods and landslides — a decree signed by Mirwan.
Heavy rains recently triggered floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
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Provincial governments have declared emergency status from November 28 to December 11 in Aceh, November 27 to December 10 in North Sumatra, and November 25 to December 8 in West Sumatra.
As of December 5, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported 883 deaths and 520 people still missing.
