The scale of the tsunami disaster and continuing health risks in Indonesia's Aceh province are almost beyond comprehension. Getting desperately needed emergency aid to the survivors, wherever they are, is now an overwhelmingly urgent humanitarian priority.

Unfortunately, Indonesia's politically powerful army is not used to putting humanitarianism first. Imbued with a reflexively nationalist ideology and obsessed with a counterinsurgency campaign against armed Aceh separatist groups, army leaders persuaded government officials to restrict foreign aid workers to the province's two main cities. They also pushed them to tell the foreign military forces now aiding relief operations to leave Indonesia no later than March 26. That deadline has been recast as a target date after complaints from Washington.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general himself, needs to make sure his generals understand that they are accountable to him as the democratically elected leader and that the human needs of Aceh's people must be Indonesia's most compelling concern. Until that change is internalized, there can be no dropping of America's limits on military ties with Indonesia. Those limits were imposed because of past human rights violations by the Indonesian armed forces.

At least 100,000 people died in Indonesia from the December 26 tsunami. Aceh was the hardest-hit area. Cities were flattened and villages wiped from the map. Three weeks later, disease is a major concern and medical help is desperately needed.

For Indonesian military leaders, however, Aceh is not just the site of a natural calamity; it is also the scene of a long and bloody conflict with local separatist guerrillas. And instead of grasping this unexpected opportunity to create good will and foster national reconciliation in a common rebuilding effort, army leaders have seemed more intent on getting the foreigners out of the way so they can resume counterinsurgency efforts as quickly as possible.

Indonesia's generals have exercised political power behind the scenes for decades. They continued to do so even after the 32-year dictatorship of Gen. Suharto ended in 1998. Last September, Mr. Yudhoyono became the first Indonesian leader to be democratically elected by a direct popular vote, an event that many hailed as the start of a new era of more responsive and competent government. Those hopes now face a critical test. This is the moment for Mr. Yudhoyono to take full charge and insist that the needs of Aceh's people come first.