On 13 August 2026, Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) personnel reportedly shot three indigenous civilians at a garden camp near the Kamundan River in the Ainod area, Aifat Timur Tengah District Maybrat Regency, Papua Barat Daya province. The victims, Mrs Anike Fatie, 47, Mrs Selfiana Sorry, 66, and Mr Silfester Asem, 25, were seriously injured during the shooting. Witnesses allege that army officers fired towards the camp, where the three civilians were resting. The incident raises serious concerns regarding unlawful use of lethal force, the right to life, and the protection of civilians in the context of security operations in West Papua.
According to documentation compiled by the victims' legal representatives and published by Suara Papua on 21 August 2026, Mr Silfester Asem, and two friends were fishing in the Kamundan River around noon when he reportedly observed a drone flying above the river. The three returned to the camp at around 4.00 pm. Mr Asem, Mrs Anike Fatie, and Mrs Selfiana Sorry saw the drone a second time shortly after Mr Asem had returned to the camp. At approximately 6.00 pm, witnesses heard a single gunshot followed by a burst of gunfire directed towards the camp. The camp is located more than two kilometres from Ainod village.
Mrs Anike Fatie was reportedly inside the camp when the shooting began. She attempted to take cover beneath a bed but was struck in her right shoulder before reaching safety. The injury reportedly extended towards her left ear and the side of her head. According to her account, armed men subsequently entered the camp, pulled her from beneath the bed and ordered the residents to remain seated, saying that a vehicle would come to pick them up.
Mrs Selfiana Sorry was also injured during the shooting, sustaining a wound to her right leg, reportedly passing from the outer to the inner thigh. She described approximately five men wearing camouflage uniforms, tactical helmets, bulletproof vests and carrying firearms. One of the men reportedly tied a black cloth around her injured leg. The armed men allegedly told the residents to lie on the ground and said they would travel to Kumurkek to obtain a vehicle. The evacuation eventually took place on the following day.
Mr Silfester Asem stated that he was asleep after eating when he heard gunfire and attempted to flee. He was reportedly struck in the right calf before he could leave the camp. Despite the injury, he ran towards the Kamundan River, jumped into the water, swam to the opposite bank and hid upstream. He returned to the camp at approximately 11.00 pm, where he found Mrs Anike Fatie and Mrs Selfiana Sorry injured.
The incident prompted public protests in Maybrat Regency. On 14 August 2026, residents reportedly blocked roads and gathered outside Maybrat Police headquarters to demand an investigation. Further demonstrations took place in the following days, including a third protest reported on 19 August. The Front Rakyat Papua Tolak Militerisme dan PSN (FRPTMP) rejected the military's preliminary explanation and called for the withdrawal of military task forces from Maybrat and accountability for those responsible.
Evacuation and medical treatment
The injured residents remained at the remote camp overnight. Relatives who later came to the camp reportedly provided initial assistance with the limited resources available. On the morning of 14 August 2026, residents sought a telecommunications signal to request help. The legal team's chronology states that the victims were evacuated at approximately 11.00 am. The three injured persons were initially taken to Pratama Maybrat Hospital and subsequently referred to RSUD Sele Be Solu in Sorong City, arriving at approximately 08.15 pm on 14 August 2026.
Hospital director Susi Djitmau stated on 18 August 2026 that the three patients underwent emergency medical examinations, radiology, specialist surgical assessment and operations that night, which continued into the early hours of 15 August. All three were reported to be stable and recovering in non-intensive-care wards by the fourth day of treatment. One patient required additional ear, nose and throat specialist care. The hospital confirmed that the Papua Barat Daya provincial government was covering the costs of treatment and that the visum et repertum, the medico-legal examination report, had been submitted to Maybrat Police on 18 August 2026. The hospital did not publicly establish the precise mechanism or cause of the injuries, explaining that those questions fell within the scope of the criminal investigation.
Conflicting accounts and investigation
The military disputed the allegations that marine corps personnel was involved in the attack. Through the spokesperson of Kodam XVIII/Kasuari, Colonel Daniel Panusuan Manalu, the regional military command stated that its preliminary assessment suggested the injuries were more consistent with sharp weapons than gunshots and that initial checks indicated no TNI personnel were conducting operations around Ainod at the time. These assertions are not conclusive findings and must be assessed against the medical, forensic and testimonial evidence.
Komnas HAM's Papua representative office (Komnas HAM Papua) began monitoring the case and visited the victims at RSUD Sele Be Solu. Komnas HAM Papua chairperson, Mr Frits Ramandey, on 20 August emphasised the need for further witness interviews, examination of the scene, reconstruction of the victims' positions and assessment of the characteristics of their injuries. On 22 August 2026, Komnas HAM conducted a scene examination and reportedly discovered dozens of cartridge cases and other material evidence, which were secured by the Maybrat Police. Ramandey stated that the findings strengthened the suspicion that the victims had sustained gunshot injuries, while stressing that the commission had not yet determined who fired the shots or who should be held responsible. The recovered cartridge cases, projectiles, medical records, and witness accounts would be subjected to an independent forensic analysis to identify the perpetrators.
Human rights analysis
The alleged shooting engages Indonesia's obligations under Articles 6 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protect the right to life and prohibit torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Article 9 ICCPR protects the right to liberty and security of person, while Article 2(3) ICCPR requires an effective remedy for violations. Article 28A of the Indonesian Constitution guarantees the right to life, and Article 28G protects personal security and freedom from torture and degrading treatment. Where State agents use firearms in a law-enforcement context, international standards require that force be lawful, necessary and proportionate. Intentional lethal force is permissible only where strictly unavoidable to protect life. A person's presence in a security-sensitive area, flight from armed personnel or suspected political affiliation does not, by itself, justify the use of firearms. The reported shooting of civilians attempting to flee or identify themselves as non-combatants would therefore constitute a grave violation if the allegations are substantiated and no lawful justification existed.
The circumstances also require consideration of international humanitarian law, although the applicability of that framework to this particular incident depends on whether it had a sufficient nexus to an armed conflict. In any applicable non-international armed conflict, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law prohibit violence against persons taking no active part in hostilities and require respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack. Civilians do not lose protection merely because they reside in an area affected by armed conflict.
The reported delay in evacuation and the allegation that armed men promised assistance but failed to return raise additional concerns regarding the duty to protect life and ensure access to urgent medical care. Where authorities have control over injured persons or create a foreseeable risk to their lives, they must take reasonable measures to secure timely assistance.
An effective investigation must be prompt, thorough, impartial, independent and capable of identifying and holding responsible any perpetrators, including those with command responsibility where the law provides for it. Any potential conflict of interest arising from alleged security-force involvement must be addressed through appropriate independent oversight. Victims and witnesses must be protected from intimidation, and the findings should be made public insofar as this is compatible with their safety and the integrity of proceedings.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-111-2026
Location: PHJ3+42, Eisyo, Aifat, Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua, Indonesia (-1.2696875, 132.5525625) Forest in the area around Ainod Village
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > Maybrat > Aifat Timur Tengah
Total number of victims: 3
1. Anike Fatie, female 47 Indigenous Peoples ill-treatment, right to health, right to life
2. Selfiana Sory, female 66 Indigenous Peoples ill-treatment, right to health, right to life
3. Silfester Asem, male 25 Indigenous Peoples ill-treatment, right to health, right to life
Period of incident: 13/08/2026-14/08/2026
Perpetrators:
Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI)
Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence