1976 - Rebel leader Hasan di Tiro sets up Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), or Free Aceh Movement, to fight for independence. GAM says Jakarta is depriving Aceh of its fair share of revenue from natural resources. Indonesian army tries to put down rebellion, forcing Tiro to flee to Sweden in late 1970s

1989 - Conflict flares up. President Suharto renews attempts to crush rebels

1991 - Aceh is made a military operations zone, giving army greater freedom of movement

1998 - Suharto's fall in May is followed by discovery of mass graves, fuelling separatist sentiment. Aceh's status as a military operations zone is revoked and some troops are pulled back

1999 - Under Presidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, hundreds of Acehnese are reported killed by the army in a new campaign. Calls for referendum on independence gain momentum and hundreds of thousands take to the streets

2000 - Rebels and government agree three-month ceasefire in May, which is extended several times

2001 - Indonesia announces new military operations against GAM

2002 - Government under President Megawati Sukarnoputri and GAM sign cessation of hostilities agreement in December. Violence drops

2003 - Peace talks in Tokyo fail in May after resurgence of violence. Indonesia imposes martial law in Aceh and launches major assault. Tens of thousands uprooted

2004 - GAM declares unilateral ceasefire a day after the Dec. 26 tsunami, which leaves 170,000 people dead or missing in Aceh

2005

Jan 29 - President Yudhoyono's government and rebels agree in Helsinki to work for peace deal

Aug 15 - Government and GAM sign truce, the rebels having dropped demand for independence

Aug 31 - Government begins freeing hundreds of rebels under sweeping amnesty

Sep - Indonesian police start to leave Aceh. Rebels begin handing in weapons to foreign peace monitors

2006

Apr - Several GAM leaders return to Aceh after decades in exile

Jul - Indonesia's parliament passes landmark law giving Aceh wide-ranging autonomy

Dec 11 - Acehnese vote in the region's first direct elections for governor and other local offices. Former GAM spokesman Irwandi Yusuf becomes governor