The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR), which was given the task of helping to rebuild communities in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami of late 2004, is set to end its mission in April 2009.

However, several issues are far from being settled in the hardest-hit areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias in North Sumatra. Aceh is also going through a transition period after signing a deal in 2005 ending decades of war between the government and rebel forces. The following report, detailing the latest situation in Aceh, was written by The Jakarta Post's Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida.

Smiles of hope for a better future shine on the faces of many Acehnese people these days. They no longer need to live in fear of assassination, abduction and intimidation, as both the old and the young did from the 1970s until just a few years ago.

The current upbeat atmosphere in the area is also a result of rebuilt roads, bridges and markets, which were damaged during decades of conflict and destroyed in a matter of minutes in late 2004 when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami claimed more than 210,000 lives.

However, the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, entrusted with billions of dollars from the international community for the survivors of the natural disaster, continues to face daily criticism from locals.

The agency has been accused of being inefficient, insensitive and lacking transparency. Some even say the agency is corrupt.

Witnesses have said there are hundreds of empty houses in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar regency. Many home owners, predominately fishermen, say they will not stay in the new houses in Emperom and Lhok Nga because they are too far from the sea or because the houses were constructed with pest-ridden timber.

Several housing areas in Mamplam, Aceh Besar, have become overgrown with bushes, with goats and poultry being housed inside.

And despite the fact peace now prevails, many people in the area remain confused about what to do to survive. They say they are still waiting for the new, democratically elected provincial government to develop economic programs which will improve their lives.

Dozens of people who lost their parents or relatives during the years of conflict are also demanding homes and financial assistance from the BRR – which says it is only channeling funds to tsunami victims.

The conflict victims say the money they received from the Aceh Reintegration Agency – one of the bodies tasked with channeling funds to former rebels and their families – was not even enough to meet their daily needs.

Conflict victims who were not affected in the disaster say they feel hurt they were excluded from receiving assistance from the international community.

This stems from the fact the body tasked with taking care of the conflict victims is yet to be set up. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in Helsinki in 2005 instructed the Indonesian government to set up a truth and reconciliation committee and an ad hoc court to settle unresolved human rights abuses.

Victims have joined a series of rallies over the past few years to remind everyone of this unfinished work.

Politicians and activists have criticized both the BRR and the new provincial administration for the slow pace of conflict resolution and reconstruction work. They say both sides lack commitment and a basic vision to help the Acehnese people back on their feet.

Nasir Djamil, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) legislator from Sigli regency, said the rehabilitation and reconstruction work was ongoing but action was not being taken to prevent similar damage occurring in the future.

"All rehabilitated and reconstructed homes and infrastructure could be damaged if another tsunami hit the province because the reconstruction work has been carried out without any preliminary analysis and planning," Nasir told The Jakarta Post in Banda Aceh recently.

Nasir also said the BRR was guilty of politicking in its move to construct new offices for local police and military officers as well as new district attorney offices. He said each of these authorities had their own funds allocated for such purposes.

"Civil society has been left powerless in monitoring reconstruction work since influential figures from local NGOs, the press and universities in the province were recruited with high salaries to strengthen the agency," he said.

Fajran from the Aceh Institute questioned what he said was an apparent lack of foresight on the part of Governor Irwandi Yusuf, who was failing to overcome the main problem in Aceh today – unemployment among former rebels.

Like others, he questioned why aspects of the Helsinki agreement were being implemented so slowly.

And without a comprehensive program to reintegrate former rebels, Fajran said he was concerned about the fears lying behind people's smiles. "Aceh could turn chaotic, worse than in the past, unless conflict resolution is well managed," he said.