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No end in sight for Papua armed conflict
It seemed hopeful to have such authorities constantly seeking to update and collect data on the conditions of the displaced people and to keep seeking a solution to end the ongoing armed conflict between the pro-independence fighters and state security institutions. #opinion
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Ready for action: Indonesian Military personnel prepare to board a helicopter in Wamena in Papua to retrieve the bodies of the construction workers killed in Nduga. The soldiers hunted for rebels suspected of killing 19 construction workers and one soldier in the restive province of Papua, as an eyewitness account supplied by the military described a grisly mass execution. (AFP/Anyong)
T
he special committee on human rights of the Papuan People Council met with internally displaced persons from Nduga, local volunteers, church and society leaders in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, on May 12. That was the latest initiative by a local authority in Papua to find thorough solutions for the armed conflict in Nduga and its affected people, including in Wamena.
It seemed hopeful to have such authorities constantly seeking to update and collect data on the conditions of the displaced people and to keep seeking a solution to end the ongoing armed conflict between the pro-independence fighters and state security institutions.
Meanwhile, the cultural body, supposedly representing the values and interests of the indigenous council, has been widely criticized since it does not exert political influence over executive or legislative bodies in Papua. Accordingly, the council merely accommodates people’s aspirations and needs of the displaced in Nduga, and discusses the issue with relevant local authorities at the provincial level.
However, what is most needed is neither an update nor data but coordination to provide basic supplies for the displaced from Nduga who are living in uncertainty.
Moreover, the counterinsurgency operation launched by the military and the police to hunt down pro-independence fighters has been going on for six months without a clear terminating point. In fact, such operation has resulted in the deaths of more than 50 civilians and nearly 10 security officers, as well as displaced around 2,300 people from 11 districts in Nduga.
These facts raise questions over the effectiveness of the joint police and military operation.
The measure of critical success of conducting the counterinsurgency operation is to win the hearts and minds of local indigenous people in Nduga. Such a strategy depends on support from locals to underpin the joint operation to defeat local insurgents. Local support can be received by building infrastructure, such as roads in remote areas.
