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Jokowi urged to withdraw troops from Papua’s Nduga
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Indonesian soldiers prepare to board a helicopter from Wamena in Papua province on Dec. 5, 2018 to retrieve the bodies of 25 construction workers killed in Nduga. (AFP/Anyong)
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ctivists are calling on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to withdraw troops from the conflict-prone Nduga, Papua, and take a humanitarian approach instead.
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has maintained a strong presence in the regency since December 2018, following the killing of more than 30 workers of state-owned company Istaka Karya in the regency by an armed group linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
The construction workers were assigned to build a 275-kilometer section of road to connect Wamena and Mamugu as part of President Jokowi's flagship trans-Papua road project.
The killings led to a protracted security crisis in Nduga, forcing civilians to hide in forests or to seek refuge in the neighboring regency of Wamena.
As many as 139 refugees had died from starvation and illness caused by poor living conditions in the shelters, as reported by the Nduga Solidarity Civil Society Coalition in July last year. The government vehemently rejected the figure and claimed that only 53 displaced people had died.
The executive director of Amnesty International, Usman Hamid, recently said that the death toll has risen to 263.
"We're not saying that the security threat was absent, but we demand a proportional approach,” Usman said at a press conference in Jakarta marking the first anniversary of the Nduga conflict on Jan. 21.
