Violence in Aceh is becoming political, according to a human rights NGO.

"We are facing violence in relation to local political issues such as the regional elections and harsh competition between political parties," Harris Azhar, coordinator of the Missing Persons and Violence Victims Commission (Kontras), told a press conference on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

The latest incident of politically related violence was the murder of Saiful Cage, a former Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM) combatant, who was shot dead in a drive-by shooting on July 22. Saiful was working for Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf's controversial re-election campaign when he was killed.

Kontras recorded 16 cases of violence Aceh in 2010, down from 26 cases in 2009, he said. Aceh was classified as a military operations area for years due to the violent, decades-long insurgency led the GAM.