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Jakarta Post

Four killed in alleged MIT attack in Sigi, reigniting concerns over sectarian conflict

Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, November 30, 2020

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Four killed in alleged MIT attack in Sigi, reigniting concerns over sectarian conflict

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our residents of Lembantongoa village in Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, were killed on Friday in an apparent terrorist attack attributed to the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) extremist group.

Brig. Gen. Farid Makruf, commander of the 132/Tadulako Regional Military Command (Korem) in Palu, said that the attack had included arson. A venue for local Christians and six houses were destroyed in the blaze.

Two victims were beheaded and the other two died of severe burns, he said in a written statement.

Farid denied that the attack was carried out against a specific religious group as it had also affected non-Christian families residing in the area.

“The event had nothing to do with SARA [ethnicity, religion and race],” Farid said. “According to witness statements, it was an effort by the MIT to fulfill their [goals] and show their existence.”

He also denied the authenticity of a video that has circulated on social media purporting to depict a burn victim from the attack.

The government and civil society groups have condemned the killing and urged a thorough investigation of the alleged terror attack.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Mahfud MD said in a statement on Sunday that the government was committed to tracking down those responsible for the murders and the accompanying destruction.

“The government will get tough and hunt down the perpetrators through the Tinombala joint [police-military] operation for their senseless violence against a family that led to the deaths of four people in Sigi,” the minister said.

Acting on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s orders, Mahfud said, his office had taken steps to conduct police and military raids at locations thought to be connected to the extremist group.

The Tinombala police-military operation was established in January 2016 to hunt down then-MIT leader Santoso and his supporters in Poso, Central Sulawesi. It has been extended several times, most recently in early 2019 amid speculation that the group had recruited new members. The extension expires on Dec. 31. The operation is itself a continuation of the 2015 Operation Camar Maleo.

Mahfud called on religious leaders in Central Sulawesi to counter rumors of a racially or religiously motivated attack, noting that social cohesion was crucial for maintaining public order and safety.

In response to the killings, the Civil Society Network Coalition – which includes the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Paritas Institute and the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) – urged the central government and the Central Sulawesi administration to take swift action to ensure that the attack would not further polarize the public.

The coalition also emphasized the importance of government transparency in dispelling misinformation about the incident.

“We demand that the government fulfill the rights of the victims and their families, as well as ensure the safety of hundreds of other residents that have since taken refuge [outside of the village],” the coalition said in a statement.

The Setara Institute, a rights watchdog, encouraged the Tinombala joint operation to redouble its efforts during the remainder of its extension period to locate the whereabouts of MIT members who were thought to have retreated into the forests and mountains surrounding Poso.

“Terrorism, extremism and violence do not know any [religious affiliations],” the watchdog said in a statement. “As such, the Setara Institute urges interfaith leaders to collectively condemn the violence carried out by certain groups in the name of religion.”

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