Indonesia, West Papua – Two new reports published in August 2026 by the Pusaka Foundation and Satya Bumi document what their authors describe as widespread violations of indigenous peoples' rights caused by the National Strategic Project (PSN) for the Food and Energy Estate Area (KPPE) in Merauke Regency, South Papua. The first, Tak Terbayang Keadilan: Laporan Kesaksian Korban Perampasan Alam PSN Papua Selatan, is a narrative documentation built around victims' testimonies, a chronology of events, and patterns of security force involvement in the territories of the Marind-Makleuw, Yei and other affected communities. The second entitled Berulangnya Pembangunan Tanpa Perasaan is a human rights impact audit of Clusters II, III and IV of the project, covering large-scale rice field and sugarcane plantation developments.
The audit traces the project's origins to the global food and energy crisis of the early 2000s, when food and energy companies began acquiring concessions in Merauke for oil palm, industrial timber, sugarcane, soya and rice, promising increased local revenue and jobs. According to the report, concession holders then lobbied in Jakarta for national mega-projects that would function as a safety net for their operations. First the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and later the PSN KPPE under Joko Widodo, with the project continuing into the first year of Prabowo Subianto's administration.
At least 16 indigenous communities say they have been deprived of rights to their land and territories, the audit states, with more than 10 private companies suspected of involvement in the seizure of land and natural resources, among them the Jhonlin Group, First Resources Group and KPN Corp Group. The reports also document intimidation of those who object: military personnel allegedly intimidated and sought to criminalise the Kwipalo clan chief in Jagebob X District following his opposition to a sugarcane company, while soldiers are said to have visited the home of Moiwend clan leader Tayoga shortly after he returned from Jakarta, where he had lodged a complaint with the national human rights institution. Complaints documented between July and December 2024 came from indigenous villages across six districts: Ilwayab, Animha, Kurik, Malind, Tanah Miring and Jagebob.
The ecological consequences described are severe. The clearing of forests, swamps and savannahs has driven deforestation and the loss of South Papua's biodiversity, while the filling in of peatlands has left rivers unable to absorb rainfall, leaving villages and access roads repeatedly submerged after heavy rain. Fish and shrimp catches have fallen sharply, and dwindling clean water sources have left some communities entirely dependent on rainwater storage tanks. Indigenous women, the reports emphasise, carry a disproportionate share of these burdens: with food sources further away, they work longer hours gathering and processing food, and delays in preparing family meals have in a number of cases led to arguments, verbal abuse and physical violence at home.
Both reports frame these findings against Indonesia's obligations under ratified international human rights instruments and national law, arguing that the state is required to investigate, prosecute those responsible, and provide redress to victims, and that companies operating in conflict-affected areas must conduct human rights due diligence to ensure their supply chains neither contribute to violations nor exacerbate conflict. The authors stress that indigenous communities are not opposed to development as such, but are defending their living space, dignity and right to determine their own future, a right they say has been bypassed by a project implemented without free, prior and informed consent. The audit closes with recommendations for immediate and phased measures the state should take to restore victims' rights and prevent further violations, while acknowledging that its own documentation remains incomplete, as tight military control at project sites has left many victims unwilling to speak.