JakartaPost/Antara-Apr 22
Shootouts between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and rebel groups continue to occur despite mounting calls for security forces to apply a different approach to curb conflict in the region. In the latest instance, two members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), were shot during a shootout with TNI personnel of the Habema Operations Command in the village of Paro, Nduga regency, Highland Papua, on Friday. No fatalities were recorded as both members managed to run away, according to the military’s press release. The latest shooting on Friday involved the newly established TNI’s Habema Operations Command, which was introduced in late February by TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto to handle conflicts with a combination of “soft and hard power” approaches. Habema’s information officer Lt. Col. Yogi Nugroho claimed the shootout was in retaliation to the OPM’s constant attacks on a TNI post in Paro village since early 2024, adding that it was part of its attempts to “maintain stability”. Papua has experienced conflicts between separatists and security forces since the 1970s, but tensions have escalated considerably since 2018, with pro-independence armed groups mounting deadlier and more frequent attacks. The rising tension has prompted calls from experts and activists for the government to reconsider its handling of the conflicts in the country’s easternmost region. A 2024 report by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said the government should avoid chasing down separatists and instead implement a “live and let live” approach between them. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/04/22/clashes-between-tni-opm-continue-in-papua-amid-rising-tension.html.
