Umar, Teuku
(1854–1898), Acehnese war leader. Born in Meulaboh, Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, Teuku Umar (Teuku Oema) first rose to prominence as a military leader on the western coast of Aceh during the long military struggle against the Netherlands's annexation of the sultanate in 1874. In 1883 he was lured away from the resistance by Dutch promises of money and weapons as part of a policy to create a coalition of pro-Dutch Acehnese forces but deserted them in 1884. He rejoined the Dutch in 1893 and deserted them again in 1896, taking many of their weapons and resuming the armed struggle against them. His action strengthened those among the Dutch arguing for more forceful action in Aceh. In 1898 Colonel J. B. van Heutsz was appointed head of the Dutch civil and military forces with the task of subjugating the region. Van Heutsz's wide-ranging military operations included an ambush at Meulaboh in which Umar was killed.
Although Umar is officially regarded as a hero of the anticolonial resistance, his willingness to collaborate with the Dutch presaged their successful strategy of co-opting uleebalang (war leaders) as allies against more radically anticolonial Muslim leaders.
Further Reading
Reid, Anthony. (1969) The Contest for North Sumatra: Atjeh, the Netherlands, and Britain 1858–1898. London: Oxford University Press.
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