Mahfud said the rebel groups were responsible for acts of violence that killed 95 people, both civilians and security personnel, and injured 120 others over the past three years.

Classifying the Papuan rebels as terrorists will justify measures in accordance with the 2018 Terrorism Law.

The decision shows the government’s serious intent to quell separatism in Papua. But for some reason, instead of explaining why labelling the rebel groups “terrorists” will be effective, the government has focused on providing justifications for the policy.

When announcing the terrorist label for Papuan rebel groups on April 29, Mahfud said they had committed “mass violence”, which the 2018 Terrorism Law defines as an act of terrorism. A week later, following public criticism of the policy, including from influential Papuan figures and the country’s human rights activists, Mahfud provided a lengthier explanation of the government’s initiative.

The failure to explain why the policy would be effective demonstrates that the government lacks a well prepared plan to implement the policy. The terrorist label was seemingly a mere reaction to the situation on the ground, which may have gone beyond the government’s control.

Branding Papuan rebel groups terrorists, however, is a precursor to larger police and military operations in the country’s easternmost territory. The more security troops are deployed, the greater chance that human rights violations will occur, as in the case of operations to quell separatism in Aceh and East Timor in the past.

A worsening human rights record in Papua would elicit backlash from the international community, which would further complicate the issue.

Rampant gross human rights violations in then-East Timor resulted in persistent international pressure on Indonesia to free the territory. Eventually, the East Timorese gained independence following a United Nations-administered referendum in 1999.

With regard to Papua, on one hand, the government will strive to keep the territorial integrity intact. On the other hand, relying on the existing policing operation, codenamed Nemangkawi, is evidently not a good option.

The police, backed by the Indonesian military (TNI), began Operation Nemangkawi in December 2018. The operation, which uses both humanitarian and law-enforcement approaches, has been extended twice.

There were some instances when the operation came under public scrutiny for human right abuses, including the alleged murder of a Papuan priest by an Indonesian security officer last year. But overall, the operation has managed to put pressure on the Papuan rebels and minimize the risk of security excesses that used to taint military operations.

This law enforcement operation bodes well for the government’s persistent efforts to avoid internationalization of the Papua issue. But the operation looks ineffective, as evident in the repeated attacks and acts of violence perpetrated by Papuan armed groups targeting both civilians and security authorities. The rebels continue to go on rampages, most recently on May 3, when they burned and vandalized a school building and a public health facility and cut off three road access points in Puncak regency, Papua.

To come up with a better policy, the government needs to sit back and listen to more views on the matter. The government claimed to have talked with some Papuan figures before declaring the rebel groups terrorists, but after the policy was announced, it created a backlash, including from prominent Papuan figures like current governor Lukas Enembe and former minister Freddy Numberi. They expressed fear that the terrorist label would stigmatize other Papuans and lead to larger human rights abuses.

The government needs to accommodate such dissenting views. Winning hearts and minds of Papuans, starting from these highly regarded influencers, is important to end Papuan separatism and bring peace back to the area.

The government also needs to improve coordination among its ranks. Mahfud’s eagerness for more heavy-handed measures against Papuan rebels, including by declaring them terrorists, appears to contradict the police’s stance. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Argo Yuwono said on May 5 that Operation Nemangkawi would continue as it was.

Policymakers and the policy enforcement apparatus have to work in concert to end the continuing violence in Papua sooner, rather than later, for the sake of the people.

 ***

The writer is a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore and the author of The State and Religious Violence in Indonesia: Minority Faiths and Vigilantism (London & New York: Routledge, 2020)