JakartaPost-Sept 18
The recent killings of civilians in Papua have raised fresh concerns over the state’s ability to protect people caught between separatists and security forces in the country’s easternmost region, prompting calls for renewed peace efforts. Aris Sanda, a 41-year-old driver from Toraja, South Sulawesi, was found dead inside a burned car in Jayawijaya, Papua Highlands on Tuesday. The Cartenz Peace Operations Task Force found a rifle cartridge at the scene. The task force, which comprises Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel, is investigating whether the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) carried out the shooting, spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusuf Sutejo said in a statement on Thursday. The TPNPB, the armed wing of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), claimed responsibility for the killing, accusing Aris of being a military intelligence agent who had entered its operational area despite previous warnings. Yusuf denied the allegation. The incident came a week after another shooting that killed three civil servants from the Jayawijaya Agriculture Agency in Muliama district on Sept. 9. The TPNPB also claimed responsibility for that attack, accusing the victims of being intelligence agents. In a video statement released Thursday, TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom warned that non-Papuans who come to the region without supporting Papua’s independence “aren’t welcome in our territory.” He also blamed Jakarta for the deaths, saying the government had failed to open peace negotiations. “Like it or not, President Prabowo Subianto and his cabinet must open themselves up to sitting at the negotiating table starting now.” Resource-rich Papua has been embroiled in conflict between separatists and security forces since the 1970s, with the government largely relying on military deployments to maintain security. Hostilities have intensified in recent years, with repeated deadly clashes between the TNI and TPNPB that have left many civilians caught in the middle. The state must protect citizens’ constitutional right to security, according to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). “This is a serious issue that must be resolved. It exposes insecurity and inequality that points to an inadequate human rights protection in Papua,” Komnas HAM chair Anis Hidayah told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. She urged the state to uphold the rule of law and deliver justice for victims, while rejecting continued reliance on a military approach that she said was no longer effective. Addressing the conflict should begin with its root causes, she added, urging the president to prioritize efforts to tackle persistent poverty, resource exploitation and inadequate development that local communities have long endured. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/09/18/papua-killings-renews-calls-for-peace-talks-end-armed-conflict?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=home_indonesia.
