Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta.The House of Representatives has confirmed that President Prabowo Subianto will take over the handling of the territorial dispute involving four islands claimed by both Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.

“This matter has been directly communicated to the President. He will take over and issue a decision on the island border conflict,” said Deputy Speaker of the House, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, in a statement on Saturday (14/6/2025), as quoted by antaranews.com.

He added that President Prabowo is expected to announce his decision next week, marking a central government intervention in a 20-year interprovincial territorial dispute.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the islands— Mangkir Gadang, Mangkir Ketek, Lipan, and Panjang—were designated part of North Sumatra by the National Team on Geospatial Naming, based on mutual agreement between the regions to defer to the team’s ruling.

The dispute has reignited debate over historical claims and administrative boundaries in Indonesia’s decentralized governance system.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)