Between 24 and 30 July 2026, joint Indonesian military and police operations reportedly killed three civilians in the Korowai region, causing hundreds of indigenous Papuans, including children, pregnant women and elderly people, to flee their homes and seek shelter in the surrounding forest (see photo on top, source: independent HRD). The operation area is located in the border area between the regencies Yahukimo, Highlands Papua Province, and Boven Digoel, South Papua Province.
Preliminary reports from the ground identified the victims as Mr Yatimin Wonda, Mr Wanengga Kogoya, and one unidentified member of the Korowai indigenous community. The precise locations and times of the killings, and the circumstances in which the victims died remain unknown. Local sources and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) alleged that security forces fired into civilian settlements and conducted aerial and ground operations involving helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). These allegations have not yet been independently verified.
The security operation reportedly followed the killing of American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin in Balinggama Village, Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, Highlands Papua Province, on 2 July 2026. Gosselin was flying an Associated Mission Aviation aircraft carrying seven indigenous Papuan passengers when members of TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo allegedly shot him and set fire to the aircraft. All seven passengers reportedly survived. The TPNPB publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that the aircraft had entered an area it classified as a "red zone".
According to a TPNPB statement issued on 30 July 2026, Indonesian security forces began to mobilise in the Korowai region on 19 July. A separate field report dated 27 July stated that the operation had been underway for four days, indicating that armed clashes may have begun around 24 July. The precise start date of the operation currently remains unclear.
Local accounts alleged that the ground forces moving through the forest were supported by at least three military helicopters and multiple drones during the operation. Preliminary field accounts accused security forces of attacking villages and local gold-mining sites with gunfire from the air. The exact locations of the alleged attacks have not yet been identified, and no visual or forensic documentation confirming the use of aerial weapons has yet been made publicly available.
Hundreds of residents reportedly fled in panic towards forest areas and neighbouring parts of Yahukimo Regency and Pegunungan Bintang Regency without adequate food, drinking water, shelter or medical assistance. Difficulties in communication and alleged restrictions on internet access have further impeded independent verification and the transmission of information from the affected communities.
As of 30 July 2026, neither the Indonesian military, police or relevant local government authorities have issued a public statement, responding to the allegations concerning the three civilian deaths, aerial attacks and internal displacement in the Korowai area. Independent investigators and humanitarian organisations have reportedly not yet been granted verifiable access to the affected locations.
Human rights analysis
All parties to the armed conflict in West Papua must distinguish at all times between civilians and persons directly participating in hostilities. Attacks may only be directed against military objectives and must comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. The killing of Nicholas F. Gosselin by TPNPB members does not justify retaliatory attacks against civilians or civilian settlements. If security forces fired indiscriminately into inhabited areas, deliberately targeted civilians or used explosive weapons without taking feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm, such conduct would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to unlawful killings.
The alleged deaths also engage Indonesia's obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the right to life. Every potentially unlawful death must be investigated promptly, independently, impartially and transparently in accordance with the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death. The authorities must secure relevant locations, identify the deceased, document injuries, conduct appropriate forensic examinations and ensure that witnesses and relatives can participate without intimidation.
The displacement of civilians into remote forest areas raises additional concerns under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, particularly the prohibitions against arbitrary displacement and the obligations to provide displaced persons with food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection. Children affected by the operation are entitled to special protection under Articles 6 and 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-106-2026
Location: Yahukimo regency, Papua, Indonesia (-4.4939717, 139.5279996) Korowai area, bordering area between the regencies Boven Digoel and Yahukimo
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo
Total number of victims: 3
1. Yatimin Wonda, male adult Indigenous Peoples right to life, unlawful killing
2. Wanengga Kogoya, male adult Indigenous Peoples unlawful killing
3. unknown adult Indigenous Peoples right to life, unlawful killing
Period of incident: 24/07/2026-27/07/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: drones and clusterammunition, indigenous peoples, security force violence
Sources: Suara Papua, PapuaNews Online