Catastrophic floods and landslides struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island in late November and early December after days of torrential rain. The disaster resulted in more than 950 fatalities, with over 270 people still missing and more than 770,000 displaced. Damage exceeded USD 3.1 billion, wiping out roads, bridges, plantations, schools, and entire neighborhoods. Power and communication lines collapsed, leaving parts of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra isolated for days.

For readers unfamiliar with Indonesia, disasters of this scale are tragically not rare. The country of nearly 280 million people sits on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” spread across more than 17,000 islands. Floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are annual realities. Indonesia is also home to the world’s largest Muslim-majority population, which has historically kept it closely connected to the Middle East through religion, trade, and migration.

This connection was immediately visible in the days following the disaster. On 1 December, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a personal telegram to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressing “deep sorrow,” followed by a parallel message from King Salman. The United Arab Emirates publicly announced it had humanitarian assistance on standby, with Ambassador Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri stating that the UAE was ready to deploy relief teams and........

© Middle East Monitor