Maluku

Locator map for the Indonesian islands of Maluku. The islands are situated in the Malay Archipelago, with the Philippines to the north, the island of New Guinea to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the island of Sulawesi to the west.

Group of Indonesian islands; area 74,500 sq km/28,764 sq mi; population (2000 est) 1,990,600. The capital is Ambon, on the island of Ambon. As the Spice Islands, they were formerly part of the Dutch East Indies; the southern Moluccas have repeatedly attempted secession from the Indonesian republic since 1949, with sectarian fighting continuing in the islands into the 21st century.

In August 1999 violent clashes erupted between Muslims and Christians and by December the total number of killings had reached 1,500. As fighting continued into January 2000, Indonesian troops were sent to the islands. There were demonstrations in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, either protesting against the government's failure to stop the fighting, or urging the state into a holy war against Maluku Christians. By May 2000 the death toll had risen to over 3,000. Christian leaders appealed to the United Nations (UN) for intervention, but this was ruled out by Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid. Increasing numbers of armed Muslims attempted to travel to the area from other parts of Indonesia to join the religious fighting.