A leader of separatist rebels in northern Indonesia's Aceh province has called for a postponement of upcoming peace talks with the government, amid rising violence in the troubled region.

Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba told The Jakarta Post newspaper the rebels need time to reorganize, following the death of their military commander in a battle with government troops last week. Mr. Tiba did not say how long a postponement the rebels want.

The two sides are scheduled for peace talks in Switzerland beginning Saturday. But a series of negotiations and ceasefires has failed to stop the violence in Aceh. More than 100 people have been killed over the past year.

In one of the latest incidents, the top rebel commander Abdullah Syafei was shot dead by security forces in a gunfight last week. The guerrillas allege the army tracked him down through a microchip hidden in an official letter inviting him to peace talks.

Analyst have warned Mr. Syafei's death could lead to more bloodshed.

A Foreign Ministry official in Jakarta Monday said the peace talks are still on track, despite the call for a postponement.

Jakarta has offered greater autonomy to Aceh, but that has not ended calls in the region for full independence. The rebels, from the Free Aceh Movement, have been fighting to break away from Indonesia for more than two decades.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

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