Pada 7 April 2019, Gunung Sinabung yang dahsyat, gunung berapi aktif di Kabupaten Karo, Sumatera Utara, meletus. Gunung itu telah tidur selama berabad-abad sebelum aktif meraung kembali dan meletus pada tahun 2010, dan sejak itu terus aktif sejak saat itu. Sinabung kembali pada tanggal 9 Juni 2019, memuntahkan abu sepanjang 7 KM ke langit. Aliran piroklastik kemudian jatuh menuruni gunung. Untungnya tidak ada korban yang tercatat.

Selain telah meletus selama hampir satu dekade, Gunung Sinabung juga merupakan salah satu bencana alam terpanjang yang terjadi di Indonesia—meskipun hal tersebut jarang dilaporkan. Sinabung terletak di dataran tinggi Karo, daerah pertanian yang dingin di ketinggian 1.300 M di atas permukaan laut. Terlepas dari upaya maksimal pemerintah dan rencana untuk membangun “taman gunung berapi” yang mewah, itu bukanlah pusat wisata internasional.

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Ranto Sibarani is a human rights lawyer based in Medan, Indonesia. He has worked for over 10 years on the management board of KontraS in North Sumatra, a commission for disappeared peoples and victims of violence. Experienced in social and humanitarian work, he has been active in the North Sumatra Provincial Legislature as an expert in the Law and Government Commission for the past five years. He’s currently completing his Masters thesis on the rejection of the death penalty in Indonesia.

Aisyah Llewellyn is a British freelance writer based in Medan, Indonesia. She is a former diplomat and writes primarily about Indonesian politics, culture, travel and food.