Abstract
Natural disasters always threaten human life, but sometimes it may prosper people in the disaster area. For example, the earthquake in Aceh, it brought material aids and employment opportunities to Acehnese. However, the aid caused a social conflict due to the aids distribution deemed unfair. In this case, a village leader, as a central figure, demanded his expertise to prevent violence or damage. This research aims to analyze the village leader's roles as a safety valve in handling conflict of shelter aids for earthquake victims. This study was conducted with a qualitative approach that involved fifteen informants as the primary data source. They were the village's apparatus and earthquake victims. The results showed that the village leader as a safety valve, he formed a community group as a new safety valve and offered his people new hope beyond the demands. Thus, this study suggests that the safety valve model may be used to pause the conflict escalates into violent behavior, but not to settle the root causes of conflict. Nevertheless, it may create harmony if the solutions proposed are beyond the promise of voice. For the next researchers, the study suggests examining the effectiveness of hope or promise in conflict resolution for disaster aids management
Highlights
Natural disasters and conflict do not follow the simple logic of "a disaster lead to a conflict" or peace
The results showed that the village leader was as a safety valve, but he formed a community group and offered the disaster victims a new hope beyond the demands functioned as a sub safety valve
The Village Leader as a Safety-Valve in Resolving Conflict Social conflict is a reality that arises due to a dynamic social interaction
Summary
Natural disasters and conflict do not follow the simple logic of "a disaster lead to a conflict" or peace. Many countries can experience various and potentially conflicting relationships between conflicts and disasters. In Sri Lanka and Aceh in Indonesia, both countries have experienced protracted conflicts. They have been affected by the tsunami of 2004 and the overwhelming international response to it. The response to the tragedy in Aceh helped settle the long conflict between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the national government. In Sri Lanka, the response has exacerbated the tensions between the Tamil Tigers and the national government (Eastin, 2014); UNDP (2011)
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