People residing in Agandugume and Lambewi districts in Puncak had been scrambling for food due to a drought and cold snap hitting the area since June.
The weather phenomenon, combined with the high altitude of Puncak exacerbated the local food shortage, forcing locals to eat spoiled crops that left many ill.
Six people, including a baby, had died of dehydration or diarrhoea, while some 7,500 others were starving, before disaster aid from authorities started to arrive in recent weeks.
“People have resumed their daily lives. They have started to eat normally,” Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy told reporters on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.
He visited the affected districts earlier this month, along with dozens of tonnes of disaster relief comprising food, blankets and clothing materials, among other aid.
“The local residents are being supplied [with food] daily from Timika,” Muhadjir said, referring to the largest city in Mimika regency, which borders drought-hit Puncak.
Despite initially being impeded by bad weather, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) had distributed as of last week some 5.2 tonnes of food aid and emergency kits, including 515 packets of basic food commodities, 475 mattresses, 100 blankets, seven electricity generators and 60 tents.
As part of longer-term efforts to prevent food shortages in the region, the government is currently planning to build food warehouses in Agandugume. The construction of the warehouses is slated to start in September.
Apart from the warehouses, authorities are planning to expand the runway in Agandugume airstrip to allow large aircraft to land. The airstrip is currently only able to accommodate smaller aircraft and helicopters.
The drought in Puncak occurred while the country braces for more dry spells nationwide due to El Nino over the Pacific Ocean. The climatic phenomenon tends to bring hotter air to the Indonesian archipelago, increasing the likelihood of drought.
Jayapura, Jubi – On Friday, August. 11, 2023, the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force, in collaboration with the Yahukimo Police, arrested three suspected individuals associated with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) within the Mountainous Papua Province’s Yahukimo Regency. This action was prompted by an incident where the trio attempted to shoot Syaiful Ewa (48), a local resident.
Cartenz Peace Task Force head of Operations Sr. Comr. Faizal Ramadhani said the arrest was made in response to a phone report from Syaiful Ewa, who claimed to have been shot at the Sosial Matoa Street in Dekai District, Yahukimo, around 9 p.m. Papua time.
“The victim survived due to the malfunction of the improvised firearm. Subsequently, the three assailants fled the scene,” Ramadhani said on Saturday in Jayapura City.
A joint operation was then carried out in various locations within Dekai, resulting in the detention of three individuals suspected to be associated with TPNPB. Upon their apprehension, they were found in possession of a makeshift short-barreled firearm, a bayonet, a machete, and a single 5.56-millimeter bullet.
“The individuals apprehended were AN (14), LK (20), and WK (20). All seized evidence has been secured at the Yahukimo Police Station,” Ramadhani explained. He further disclosed that the three detainees were being held at the Yahukimo Police Station.
“Our efforts will focus on uncovering the extent of their involvement with the TPNPB group, as well as the motives behind the stabbing incident accompanied by the attempted shooting of a resident in Yahukimo,” he said, adding that the situation in Dekai is currently stable, with regular activities proceeding as usual. (*)
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