Indonesia, West Papua – This 11-page report lists cases and developments, including human rights violations and their patterns; developments in the armed conflict and its impact on civilians; significant political shifts in Indonesia affecting West Papua; and international responses and initiatives.
Human rights
From April to June 2026, the human rights situation in West Papua was dominated by military operations and armed violence in Puncak and Intan Jaya regencies, Papua Tengah Province. Security operations were also reported in Mimika, Nduga, Yahukimo and Lanny Jaya regencies. HRM documented 24 victims of alleged extrajudicial killings during the quarter, alongside a marked increase in reported ill-treatment linked to security-force operations in the central highlands.
The documentary Pesta Babi ("Pig Feast"), which examines land dispossession and the impact of resource extraction and military operations on Indigenous communities in the south of West Papua, was officially released on JubiTV's YouTube channel on 22 May 2026, following more than 1,800 public screenings. Organisers reported that the screening campaign, which ran for 40 days from 12 April and drew at least 15,000 registrants in Indonesia and abroad, faced significant obstruction, including intimidation and forced dispersals at no fewer than 52 locations, with some organisers cancelling events and others relocating or screening in secret. Meanwhile, the documentary has drawn widespread national attention for the situation of indigenous Papuans in the Merauke area.
Impunity remained a central concern. Disciplinary sanctions imposed on officers following the killing of five civilians in Moanemani did not result in criminal prosecution, and all sanctioned officers appealed. LBH Papua also criticised the lack of progress in the investigation into the shooting of student Ebenius Tabuni in Jayapura City in October 2025. The family of 16-year-old Elki Wunungga continued to seek an impartial investigation into his fatal shooting in Bokondini District, Tolikara Regency.
A military tribunal convicted four soldiers in connection with the acid attack on KontraS Director Andrie Yunus. Although several defendants were dismissed from military service, civil society organisations considered the sentences lenient. The European Parliament subsequently called for accountability for attacks on Mr Yunus and Muhammad Rosidi.
Indigenous communities also faced growing pressure on customary land from military infrastructure, Strategic National Projects, large-scale agriculture, mineral extraction and logging. In Biak Numfor Regency, indigenous Byak communities opposed a planned national spaceport and communities in Makmakerbo, Oridek district challenged the construction of a TNI battalion headquarters on disputed customary land. In Merauke Regency, reports of large numbers of excavators being transported along the Maro River indicated a possible acceleration of land clearing.
Conflict
The armed conflict intensified significantly during the second quarter of 2026. On 28 May, the independent conflict-monitoring organisation Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) reported that conflict-related deaths had increased month by month since the beginning of the year and that more than 40 people had been killed in May alone, with civilians accounting for a significant proportion of the fatalities.
The escalation coincided with the continued deployment of additional security personnel to West Papua. A Project Multatuli investigation, based on cross-verified troop mobilisation data and internal Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) documents, estimated that 74,297 soldiers were deployed across 31 regencies in West Papua. This included 17,780 non-organic troops rotated from bases elsewhere in Indonesia at an estimated annual cost of IDR 2.34 trillion, approximately Euro 113 million. Including police personnel, the total number of security force members in the region was estimated at 103,196. This corresponds to approximately one security officer for every 57 civilians -around six times the national average- and 72 security personnel for every estimated pro-independence fighter.
Military operations in the central highlands included the use of weaponised unmanned aerial vehicles in civilian-populated areas, raising serious concerns regarding compliance with the principle of distinction between combatants and civilians. Repeated armed violence and the heavy security force presence disrupted daily life and paralysed health and education services in several conflict-affected regencies. The resulting fear continued to drive civilians from their communities. As of 30 June 2026, armed conflict and military operations had displaced more than 125,931 people across West Papua.
The use of victim-activated explosive devices also remained a serious concern. Between 1 and 6 May, a TNI operation in Omukia District, Puncak Regency, reportedly killed four Indigenous Papuans, including two women. Seven villagers were subsequently injured by booby traps that military personnel had allegedly placed beneath one of the bodies. The incident forms part of a broader pattern of alleged TNI use of victim-activated explosive devices near Indigenous communities. Following an increasing number of documented incidents between 2023 and 2025, HRM published the special report No Safe Path Home, which examines these allegations in relation to Indonesia's obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
The reported use of weaponised drones against civilians also increased. Although occasional drone use had been documented during the previous five years, several alleged attacks occurred during the reporting period. On 22 June, 19-year-old Makelon Majau was reportedly injured during military drone strikes on Balamai Village, Hitadipa District, Intan Jaya Regency. On 18 June, a similar attack in Danggoa Village, Agisiga District, Intan Jaya Regency, injured two Indigenous women. On 6 June, 18-year-old Pendite Weya was reportedly killed by a suspected drone-delivered explosive in Wunapunggu Village, Melagi District, Lanny Jaya Regency. On 17 May, a military drone allegedly dropped grenades on St Paul's Catholic Church in Mbamogo Village, Agisiga District, Intan Jaya Regency, shortly after worshippers had completed Sunday Mass. The headquarters of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in Jayapura City, Papua Province, had also allegedly been attacked by a drone on 16 March.
Drone surveillance and attacks may increase with new military infrastructure. On 5 July 2026, shortly after the end of the reporting period, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto inaugurated a Centralised Drone Command Centre at the Yonif 754/ENK infantry battalion complex in Timika, Mimika Regency. The facility was inaugurated alongside the new headquarters of Joint Defence Area Command III, known as Kogabwilhan III, which will control the centre. It is intended to serve as the command-and-control hub for unmanned aerial vehicles supporting TNI task-force operations across West Papua and will enable centralised, real-time surveillance of operational areas. Media reports indicate that the drones are equipped with infrared cameras and thermal sensors capable of detecting human body heat in dense forest and at night. While the TNI presented the facility as part of the accelerated modernisation of national defence infrastructure and the protection of Indonesian sovereignty, deploying thermal-imaging surveillance in an active conflict area with a large civilian population raises concerns about indiscriminate surveillance and the difficulty of distinguishing civilians from combatants.
HRM documented 36 armed attacks and clashes during the second quarter, compared with 35 during the previous quarter. Puncak Regency recorded the highest number, with ten incidents, followed by Intan Jaya Regency with eight. Repeated hostilities were also documented in Lanny Jaya, Puncak Jaya, Yahukimo and Mimika regencies, while isolated incidents occurred in Nduga, Maybrat and Dogiyai regencies.
During these incidents, HRM recorded eight civilians killed by the TPNPB, with no civilian injuries attributed to the group. Security force personnel reportedly killed 26 civilians and injured 37 during armed clashes or counter-insurgency operations. These were the highest annualised quarterly figures for civilian deaths and injuries attributed to security forces documented by HRM during the past ten years. Among combatants, nine security force members were killed and three injured, while the TPNPB reportedly lost eight fighters and recorded three injured guerrillas. Comprehensive data on armed conflict violence in West Papua is available in the HRM 2025 annual report, published in March 2026.
On 2 July 2026, shortly after the reporting period, TPNPB members reportedly shot and killed United States pilot Nicholas F. Goselin after an aircraft operated by PT Associated Mission Aviation, registration PK-RCY, landed at Ipdeheik Airstrip in Balinggama Village, Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province.
Political developments
As the conflict in West Papua intensified and the humanitarian crisis remained unaddressed, the Indonesian Government continued to modernise its armed forces and pursued bilateral defence cooperation with Russia, France and the United States in April 2026.
On 9 June 2026, the House of Representatives passed extensive revisions to the National Police Law in a single plenary session, and President Prabowo Subianto signed the bill into law as Law No. 5 of 2026 on 17 June. Civil society organisations criticised the speed of the process and the absence of meaningful public consultation, warning that the law entrenches impunity and undermines long-demanded police reform. They argued that it fails to strengthen judicial oversight, expands the placement of active police officers in civilian government positions, concentrates institutional authority and leaves accountability largely to internal mechanisms that have repeatedly failed to prevent human rights violations.
– Download Quarterly Report PDF: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/HRM-PMR-2026-03-Q2-2026-Papua-Monitor.pdf