2) Indigenous Klagilit clan blockades palm oil mill after alleged destruction of ancestral graves in Sorong
3) Klagilit clan demands accountability from coal companies over abandoned mine and unfulfilled asset guarantee in Sorong
1) Komnas HAM warns of possible forced eviction in Sorido–KBS, Biak – Resident injured, house fenced in and power cut
Komnas HAM findings
Incidents reported by LBH Papua
Demands
Response
Document ID: HRM-CAS-152-2026
Region: Indonesia > Papua > Biak Numfor
Total number of victims: dozens
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | dozens | diverse | unknown | Indigenous Peoples | housing, ill-treatment, intimidation |
Perpetrators:
Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU)
Sources:
https://suarapapua.com/2026/10/13/lbh-papua-jangan-tunggu-korban-hentikan-pemagaran-tanah-adat-sorido-kbs/
2) Indigenous Klagilit clan blockades palm oil mill after alleged destruction of ancestral graves in Sorong
Demands
Response
Document ID: HRM-CAS-150-2026
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > Sorong > Moisegen
Total number of victims: dozens
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | dozens | diverse | unknown | Indigenous Peoples | cultural rights |
Perpetrator: Private Company
Related Cases:
3) Klagilit clan demands accountability from coal companies over abandoned mine and unfulfilled asset guarantee in Sorong
Background
Concerns raised by the clan
Demands
Response
Document ID: HRM-CAS-151-2026
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > Sorong > Moisegen
Total number of victims: dozens
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | dozens | diverse | unknown | Indigenous Peoples | cultural rights |
Perpetrator: Private Company
Related Cases:
Jayapura, Jubi – A fire that swept through sago groves and peatland in Turiram village, Kimaam district, Merauke regency, South Papua, is threatening the food supply and livelihoods of Indigenous communities.
Residents are urging the government to respond urgently, investigate the cause of the fire and ensure their customary lands are protected.
Adrianus Tampiama Werre, a young member of the Kimaam Indigenous community, said the fire occurred on October 17 and 18, 1016. The cause of the fire and those responsible remain unknown.
Werre said the fire, which had initially been extinguished, reignited, and spread easily into Indigenous-owned sago groves. The Kimaam area is dominated by peatland and was experiencing dry-season conditions, making the fire more difficult to contain.
“When the fire broke out, everyone in the community mobilised to put it out. The sago groves that burned are a source of livelihood for the community,” Were told Jubi via messaging app on Monday, October 26, 2026.
He estimated that between 100 and 200 hectares had been affected. However, the figure has not been verified through field assessments, and the actual extent of the burned area, the number of damaged sago clumps and the boundaries of the fire-affected zone remain to be established.
Werre said that the community could not fully rely on rice as a substitute for local food. Limited farming equipment and environmental conditions posed challenges for residents seeking to grow rice.
The peatland environment in Kimaam makes agricultural activities highly dependent on the weather. During the dry season, the area experiences drought, while some locations are vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season.
The fire has also compounded existing difficulties in accessing clean water.
Werre said residents of coastal Turiram village relied on wells for fresh water. When the wells dried up, they struggled to obtain enough water for daily needs.
Some residents then returned to older settlements od customary groves where water and sago remained available.
Werre said these movements were not caused by the fire alone, but were also linked to environmental conditions and the availability of resources needed to sustain life.
He said residents could move back to areas such as Pulau Pasir and other locations where they could obtain sago, catch fish and continue their daily activities.
“Water has become difficult to access, and the sago has burned. People are eventually looking for places where they can live more comfortably and continue their lives,” he said.
Werre called on the government to help affected families rebuild their homes. The area’s geographical isolation poses an additional challenge to responding to the fire and supporting those affected.
He said travelling by motorbike from Turiram village to the Kimaam district centre took about on to two hours, while the journey on foot could take an entire day.
Limited access and communications networks have also made it difficult to relay information about residents’ circumstances to the authorities.
Mikel Kacaburu, the customary chief of Mambum village, said he was at the site when the fire broke out on October 17.
He said the flames had reached and burned Indigenous-owned sago groves, causing panic and concern because the groves were central to the community’s survival.
Kacaburu said residents could not yet determine what caused the fire or where it had started. He called on the authorities and relevant agencies to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.
“We do not want to speculate about the cause of the fire. We ask the relevant authorities to conduct an open investigation so that the cause can be established,” the Kimaam Indigenous community said in a statement.
The community is urging the Merauke regency government, the South Papua provincial government, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBP) and other relevant agencies to visit the affected areas as soon as possible.
Residents want the government to provide firefighting assistance and equipment, assess the extent of the damage and calculate the losses suffered by the community.
Kacaburu said the burning of sago groves threatened not only food supplies but also vegetation, wildlife habitats and natural resources that sustain Indigenous livelihoods.
The potential health impacts, including exposure to smoke, and disruptions to daily activities also needed to be monitored, he said.
Residents are calling for the response to go beyond extinguishing fire. They want emergency assistance for affected familied and recovery plan to restore damaged food sources.
The community is also asking the government to establish whether the burned area is near a National Strategic Project (PSN) concession in Merauke.
Kacaburu stressed that residents had no evidence establishing a link between the fire and investment activities or large-scale development projects.
He called for field inspections and the public release of the findings.
Kacaburu also expressed concern about investment plans and the development of food estates in South Papua, sating large-scale projects could affect Indigenous communities’ living spaces.
He said Kimaam’s low-lying terrain and peatland environment needed to be considered before the government made decisions about large-scale development.
He feared land clearing with heavy machinery could damage the soil, disrupt ecosystem and threaten sago groves and other local food sources.
“If companies come in, the community will be threatened. Local food could disappear, fish could become harder to find, and sago could also become more difficult to obtain,” Kacaburu said.
He said the Kimaam Indigenous community wanted to maintain its relationship with the environment.
For local residents, he said, the natural environment was not merely a place to live but also a source of food and a living space inherited from the ancestors.
Kacaburu urged the government not to make decisions solely from Merauke, Jayapura or Jakarta, but to visit Kimaam, observe conditions on the ground and listen directly to the community.
Residents need transparent information about development plans, better road access and infrastructure, and meaningful participation in decisions affecting their customary lands, he said.
“The government must come and sit down with the community. People need clear information so they can understand whether a development plan is compatible with their way of life,” he said.
The Kimaam Indigenous community stressed that sago groves were more than forest areas. They were sources of food and livelihoods, as well as ancestral legacy that need protection.
Residents are calling on the government extinguish the fire, transparently investigate its cause, assess the damage, help affected families and guarantee the protection of sago groves and customary lands.
They are also demanding that their customary territories not be converted to other uses without respects for Indigenous rights.
For the Kimaam community, protecting sago groves is directly linked to the survical of both present and future generations.
Damage to local food sources could further increase the community’s vulnerability, particularly as access to clean water and other livelihood resources remains limited. (*)
Teminabuan, Jubi – Southwest Papua Governor Elisa Kambu says a proposed investment to use the Sembra River as a source of bottled drinking water is intended to benefit local communities, despite opposition from Indigenous Srer people concerned about environmental damage and the protection of customary land rights.
Kambu made the remarks on Monday, October 26, 2026, while meeting members of te Srer Indigenous community who oppose the plan to use the Sembra River in Srer village, Seremuk district, South Sorong regency, Southwest Papua.
The meeting followed discussions involving the local government, an investor identified as Andi, and some community members who support the proposed investment.
Addressing those opposed to the project, Kambu said he stood by his decision to bring the investor to the area, arguing that the investment was intended to help the local community.
“I am responsible for what I say. I brought an investor who will help the community here, so let us deliberate, because most people have also accepted it,” Kambu said.
He said the key consideration was ensuring the investment was beneficial and did not damage the environment. He called for dialogue, saying the proposed project should deliver benefits to the community while protecting the surrounding environment.
However, members of the Srer community opposing the investment said customary deliberations had not taken place. They said a traditional gelar tikar adat meeting was needed to discuss the rights of each clan before any decision was made.
They urged the regional government to listen to their concerns rather than determine community support by counting the number of people who had accepted the proposal.
Frederik Serkadifat, a representative of the opposing community, said he had not been informed about the government and South Sorong Regent Petronela Krenak’s visit to the Sembra River area or the purpose of the meeting.
“I told the Governor of Southwest Papua and the Regent of South Sorong that, as an Indigenous person, I knew nothing about your [the governor’s] and the regent’s activities at the Sembra River. I knew absolutely nothing,” Serkadifat said in front od the two officials.
He stressed that the presence of government officials and an investor did not mean the community had automatically agreed to the proposed project.
Opposition was also voiced by Karolis Kalilago, a young member of the Srer Indigenous community, who raised concerns about the potential environmental consequences and the future of the community’s living space if the company proceed with its plans.
Kalilago said the opposition was not intended to prevent economic activity but to question the long-term consequences of decisions being made today.
“We reject this investor because [the project] will damage the environment and the living space of Indigenous people. In the future, if the company comes in, where will the community live?” Kalilago said.
He urged community elders and all parties involved in discussions about the investment to look beyond its potential short-term economic benefits and consider the needs of future generations.
“Our children are still alive. If we are going to give away the environment, what will happen in the future? The customary territory of the Srer people is already small in the map,” he said.
Kalilago warned that the community’s living space could shrink if the area was developed without comprehensive consultation. He said environmental protection was inseparable from the community’s ability to sustain its way of life.
He said the river, land surrounding area were important to both the current generation and those who would inherit the customary territory in the future.
The community’s concerns, he said, needed to be addressed through a thorough assessment of the proposed company’s activities, their potential environmental impacts and the safeguards that would be put in place.
Meanwhile, Frederik Sagisolo, chair of the local customary council, called on the government and investor not to proceed with the project until the Srer people had held their own customary deliberations.
He said a gelar tikar adat meeting was necessary to discuss and establish the rights of each clan before the project moved towards operation.
“I hope the investor and the government will not begin operations until the Srer people have held a customary meeting first, so we can determine the rights of each clan,” Sagisolo said. (*)
