JAKARTA: Indonesia's military and police will deploy special task forces, including snipers, to the main travel route in Sumatra to manage security during the annual homecoming rush, when millions of people will commute between cities and islands to observe Eid Al-Fitr with family.

Locally known as “mudik,” the Eid exodus is one of the world’s greatest seasonal migrations, with travelers braving enormous traffic jams, thousands of kilometers, and exhaustion to make it home for the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

Out of nearly 144 million Indonesians, or over half of the total population, who are expected to take part in the annual tradition this year, millions will take the highways of South Sumatra province, where security measures are heightened to oversee the safety of the travelers.

“We are deploying snipers to support security operations during the 2026 Eid homecoming period,” Maj. Gen. Ujang Darwis, chief of the military command in the province, told reporters. 

“The National Police will be working together with us to ensure safety for the public, our officers will strengthen security throughout the exodus route and anticipate any potential crime.”

The snipers will be located along the Kayu Agung-Palembang-Betung highway, a key route for travelers to reach Sumatran cities from Lampung, a transit province connecting Java and Sumatra islands, he added.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has said that South Sumatra has “a strategic position” as the “main hub for connectivity” on Sumatra island.

Across Indonesia, 161,000 security personnel are being deployed in 2,746 locations in the country as part of national security measures during the annual homecoming period, which will officially start on Friday.

More than 76 million Indonesians are expected to travel with private cars, while 24 million will be using motorbikes and another 23 million are traveling by bus.

Authorities are expecting the exodus to peak next Wednesday, when almost 22 million people will hit the road early to reach their hometowns before the first day of Eid.

Heightened security measures along Indonesia’s main roads will be in place until the end of the long holiday on March 25.