Violent Extremism in Bima, Indonesia: Radical Milieu and Peacebuilding Efforts

Indonesia has been grappling with violent extremist groups since its independence. Among the many places in the country where violent extremist groups have emerged is Bima in West Nusa Tenggara. Bima has a long history of extremist activities, repeated terrorist offences, and, most importantly, sporadic yet strong extremist communities. Bima is often referred to as a place for terrorist recruitment and a safe haven for terrorist fugitives. Yet, despite its significance in Indonesia’s terrorist network, violent extremism in Bima remains understudied. This article aims to fill this gap by exploring how and why extremism became deeply rooted in Bima. By making use of the “radical milieu” framework developed by Malthaner and Waldmann, we try to answer two main questions: First, how and why has the interaction between Bima’s radical milieu with the local extremist groups escalated and/or de-escalated violent extremism? Second, what are the incentives involved in those interactions which could be useful for strengthening peacebuilding in the future? Based on 35 interviews, including with disengaged extremists, government officials and NGO activists, we argue that extremist groups in Bima have emerged from a social environment that shares similar perspectives with them and, to some extent, is sympathetic to their actions in moral or logistical terms. We further argue that this social environment has both served to escalate and de-escalate violent extremism in Bima.

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