Indonesia, West Papua – The Papua Special Committee of Indonesia's Regional Representatives Council (DPD RI) reported to the council's 3rd Plenary Session of the 2026-2027 Legislative Year that around 124,000 Papuans remain internally displaced by armed conflict and 59 people have been killed this year, (see photo on top).
The committee concluded that civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with daily life, schooling and healthcare disrupted across conflict-affected districts in West Papua.
The displaced are concentrated in South-West Papua and Central Papua, the committee found, and most have not received adequate assistance. Its estimate, drawn from religious and traditional leaders and local communities, sits close to independent counts. Human Rights Monitor recorded more than 127,000 by late August 2026, a figure Christian Solidarity International raised at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October. It far exceeds the 22,000-22,661 that local authorities cited to the committee in Timika on 17 September, a gap that led the committee to call for a single verified displacement database pooling government, church, customary and humanitarian data.
Of the 59 people killed in 2026, 43 were civilians, and around 50 more have been injured. The figures match Komnas HAM data presented in Timika, which counted 42 violent incidents in the first half of the year, with eight police and soldiers and eight members of armed groups among the dead alongside the civilians. The committee also reported that residents now face routine identity checks and must carry identification for everyday activities. While West Papua has not been declared a military operations zone, the heavy security force presence disrupts people's ability to meet basic needs.
The conflict has hollowed out basic services. Teachers and health workers have withdrawn from a number of affected areas, leaving schools unable to run normal classes and clinics unable to function properly. Displaced parents in Puncak told committee chair Yorrys Raweyai in August that their children could not get an education and that families could not return home because the situation had not calmed. The committee has argued that returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified, and preceded by restored schools, clinics, housing and security; otherwise, deputy chair Filep Wamafma warned, displacement will simply recur.
The findings come after months of field visits and mounting pressure on Jakarta. Set up in July as violence escalated, the committee has pressed the government for a national evaluation of its Papua strategy and a roadmap with deadlines and accountability. It has also urged President Prabowo Subianto to form an investigation, reconciliation or dialogue team. Komnas HAM's Papua has backed the committee and said dialogue involving the government, the Free Papua Organisation and community leaders is the only route to a settlement. Pacific leaders at the UN General Assembly and church leaders in Papua have meanwhile called on Indonesia to admit the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Jakarta rejects the criticism and blames armed Papuan groups for the displacement.
The committee will now examine two issues in greater depth: human rights violations in Papua Highlands Province, and the impact of investment on communities and humanitarian conditions in South Papua and Papua provinces, where large food and energy projects have drawn growing local opposition. According to the committee, the deeper inquiry is needed so that the DPD can produce more comprehensive recommendations and promote a peaceful and dignified resolution of the West Papua conflict, with the protection of civilians as the first priority.