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139 Nduga residents reportedly die in shelters amid poor living conditions
The displaced people came from 13 affected districts in Nduga, 11 of which have been completely vacated after the conflict.
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Students who fled from their homes in Nduga regency study at a makeshift school in Wamena regency on March 5. (Courtesy of Ence Geong/-)
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olunteers have recorded the deaths of 139 civilians living in shelters in Wamena of Jayawijaya regency in Papua, who had escaped conflict-ridden Nduga regency between December and July. They allegedly died because of famine and poor living conditions.
Data collected by volunteers grouped under the Nduga Solidarity Civil Society Coalition revealed that as of June, 5,201 people, around 700 of whom were children, had sought refuge in various regions outside of Nduga amid the ongoing armed conflict between the military and proindependence fighters of the Papua National Liberation Army, following the latter's alleged killing of dozens of construction workers in December.
The displaced people came from 13 affected districts in Nduga, 11 of which volunteers said had been completely vacated after the conflict. The figure, however, may not cover all displaced people given that some have moved to other provinces and forests.
Many who died were adults and toddlers, the data showed.
"Many of them died because of famine. Others died within three or four days of suffering diarrhea, headaches or upper tract respiratory infections. We need professional medical teams to investigate whether these supposedly light illnesses were the causes of their deaths," Wamena-based volunteer Doly Ubruwangge said in a press briefing at the headquarters of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation in Jakarta on Thursday.
Hipolitus Wangge, a researcher at the Marthinus Academy who has been conducting fieldwork in Papua and is also a member of the coalition, said there had been a serious lack of logistics and professional medical assistance for the displaced, resulting in their deteriorating health and undesirable living conditions and diets.
"The government hasn't acknowledged Nduga's displaced people. There hasn't been any coordination between the central government, relevant ministries or local governments to assign teams to handle [this issue] and distribute assistance," Hipolitus said.
