2) Participatory Mapping Seen as a Solution to Agrarian Conflicts in Southwest Papua
3) Puncak Legislator Calls for Justice After Civilian Deaths
1) IDP Update June’26: Government neglect drives West Papua’s spiraling displacement emergency
Sorong, Jubi – Head of Research and Innovation at the Southwest Papua Provincial Development Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida), Frengky Albert R.M. Saa, said participatory mapping is a strategic approach to resolving various agrarian conflicts in Southwest Papua Province.
He said agrarian conflicts in the newly established autonomous province are closely related to natural resource management, recognition of customary territories, and development dynamics.
According to Saa, investments in plantations, forestry, mining, and infrastructure development often create disputes involving the government, companies, and Indigenous customary law communities.
In such circumstances, participatory mapping is considered an important approach to fostering dialogue, clarifying customary territorial boundaries, and creating fairer and more sustainable conflict-resolution mechanisms for local communities in Southwest Papua.
Saa said Indigenous communities in Southwest Papua maintain strong historical, spiritual, and social ties to their customary lands.
Land is not merely viewed as an economic asset but also as a cultural identity and ancestral heritage that sustains Indigenous communities across generations.
As a result, when land is taken over without the consent of Indigenous communities, conflicts that arise concern not only ownership rights but also dignity, cultural existence, and the sense of justice of Indigenous peoples.
According to Saa, participatory mapping allows Indigenous communities to be directly involved in identifying their customary territories and customary lands.
These include village boundaries, customary forests, sacred sites, and community livelihood resources such as rivers, sago groves, and hunting grounds.
The involvement of Indigenous communities in the process provides social legitimacy to the resulting maps because they are based on local knowledge and collective history.
“With participatory maps of customary territories, the potential for conflicts arising from unilateral claims can be minimized through deliberation and mutual agreements among relevant parties,” he said.
Saa explained that many agrarian conflicts in Southwest Papua have been triggered by weak formal recognition of customary territories that Indigenous communities have occupied and managed for generations.
This situation has led to social tensions, community resistance, and prolonged conflicts that hinder regional development.
Participatory mapping is therefore considered an important instrument for bridging the gap between the state’s administrative system and customary land tenure systems that have been practiced for centuries.
Participatory mapping is also viewed as a means of strengthening customary territorial governance and supporting sustainable development in Southwest Papua.
Through mapping, Indigenous communities can establish spatial zoning based on customary values and ecological functions. Areas designated for customary conservation, water-source protection, community farming areas, and settlements can be clearly identified, enabling more planned and sustainable regional development.
“This approach is in line with sustainable development principles that place local communities as the primary actors in natural resource management,” he said.
Saa added that geospatial technology offers significant opportunities to strengthen participatory mapping in Southwest Papua. The use of GPS, drones, satellite imagery, and Geographic Information System (GIS) applications can help Indigenous communities produce more accurate territorial maps that can serve as supporting documents in the recognition of customary land rights.
At the same time, involving Papuan youth in mapping technologies is an important step toward transforming customary knowledge into digital formats that are more adaptable to technological advancements.
According to Saa, the success of participatory mapping depends on support and collaboration among multiple stakeholders, including local governments, customary institutions, academics, civil society organizations, and churches.
“Local governments have a strategic role in providing policy legitimacy to community mapping results through regional regulations, recognition of customary villages, and integration of customary territorial maps into spatial planning frameworks,” he said.
Academics and research institutions can contribute by providing data, technical assistance, and capacity-building support for communities engaged in participatory mapping.
However, Saa acknowledged that several challenges remain before participatory mapping can fully function as an instrument for protecting Indigenous rights.
These challenges include limited human resources, inadequate funding, conflicts of interest among groups, and the lack of policy synchronization between central and regional governments regarding the recognition of customary territories.
In some cases, community-generated maps have yet to receive full legal recognition, making them vulnerable to being overlooked in development decision-making processes.
For that reason, he said, strong political commitment is required to ensure that participatory mapping becomes a genuine instrument for protecting Indigenous rights rather than merely an administrative formality.
Participatory mapping, he stressed, is not simply about drawing territorial boundaries but also about advancing social justice and recognition of Indigenous customary law communities in Southwest Papua.
“Amid the rapid flow of investment and development expansion in Southwest Papua, recognition of customary territories can no longer be treated as a mere administrative complement,” he said.
He emphasized that Indigenous communities must become the primary subjects in all decision-making processes concerning their customary territories.
Without clear recognition of customary territorial boundaries, the potential for social conflict will continue to recur and become a serious obstacle to sustainable development.
“Agrarian conflict across Papua demonstrate that development which ignores the rights of Indigenous communities only leads to distrust, resistance, and prolonged social tensions.”
Saa said participatory mapping should therefore be regarded both as an instrument for protecting Indigenous rights and as a crucial foundation for creating legal certainty for all stakeholders.
Local governments, he added, need to strengthen their political commitment through regulations that provide genuine recognition of participatory mapping outcomes.
Without strong policy support, community-generated maps risk becoming little more than archived documents, lacking the authority to shape development policies or resolve territorial disputes.
“Participatory mapping is an important step in ensuring that development proceeds in harmony with the protection of Indigenous Papuans’ rights, environmental sustainability, and the strengthening of peace and social stability throughout Papua,” Saa said. (*)
3) Puncak Legislator Calls for Justice After Civilian Deaths
Jayapura, Jubi – Melince Magai, a member of the Puncak Regency Legislative Council (DPRK) in Central Papua appointed through the Special Autonomy (Otsus) mechanism, said women endure nine months of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth, and years of raising children, only to see them killed at a young age.
Magai made the statement following a meeting between a special committee (Pansus) of the Puncak DPRK and Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday.
Her remarks were a response to the situation in Puncak Regency and Papua more broadly, where civilians, including children, have become victims of the armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army/Free Papua Movement (TPNPB/OPM).
“As women, we are tired of giving birth to children only to see them killed while they are still minors. Some are teenagers, some are six or seven years old, and even those still in the womb are being killed,” Magai said.
She stressed that the children who become victims have no involvement whatsoever in the armed conflict.
“Through Komnas HAM, we ask that the Kembru tragedy be thoroughly investigated. We demand that those responsible be prosecuted and that justice be delivered for us, our families, and our communities in Puncak Regency. Papuans are living on their own land in fear and trauma,” she said.
Magai also alleged that much of the reality on the ground has not been accurately reflected in media coverage.
Emanuel Gobay, legal counsel for victims of the alleged human rights violations in Kembru District, said he, members of the Puncak DPRK special committee, and students had come to Komnas HAM to seek clarification regarding the commission’s handling of the April 14, 2026 tragedy in Kembru.
“Twelve people were killed, more than 1,000 residents were displaced, and others were injured as a result of the incident. We have submitted the data to Komnas HAM and relevant government ministries. This shows that the incident created a humanitarian emergency,” Gobay said.
According to Gobay, the emergency situation has persisted since April 2026, yet there has been no clarity regarding follow-up action. He said witnesses and victims had provided testimony, and information from multiple sources pointed to the alleged perpetrators.
“The victims themselves have informed the Puncak Regent, Komnas HAM’s Papua office, the Governor of Central Papua, and the Deputy Governor about who they believe was responsible. This indicates that the alleged perpetrators have been clearly identified and point to security personnel deployed from outside the region. In this case, spent bullet casings have also been submitted to Komnas HAM as evidence,” he said.
Gobay explained that the special committee was established by the Puncak DPRK at the request of victims and affected communities. Its members traveled to Komnas HAM headquarters to demand progress on the victims’ calls for justice.
The victims are demanding that Komnas HAM identify those responsible for the incident and forward the case file to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution through a human rights court.
“They are also calling for the withdrawal of all non-organic security forces from Puncak Regency. Those are the two main demands. We hope these concerns are heard by the President of Indonesia, so that Komnas HAM can receive the support necessary to conduct a professional investigation into the alleged human rights violations,” Gobay said. (*)
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