2) Escalating tensions: Outbreak of ethnic horizontal violence in Dogiyai in April‘25
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Human Rights Monitor
1) Mining waste contaminates irrigation and aquaculture in Biha Village – Farmers’ livelihoods at threat
On 11 April 2025, farmers in Biha Village, Makimi District, Nabire Regency, Papua Tengah Province, raised urgent complaints concerning severe environmental degradation caused by gold mining activities operated by PT Kristalin. Since the commencement of the mining operations, irrigation channels crucial to rice cultivation have become clogged with mud from mining tailings, effectively halting agricultural productivity. Fish farming, another vital livelihood for the local population, has also been gravely impacted due to water contamination. Victims include rice farmers and fish breeders, many of whom now face total crop failure and economic loss.
According to PapedaNews.com, formerly productive irrigation channels are now overwhelmed by silt and mud, rendering them dysfunctional. Rice plants are reportedly withering, turning yellow due to a lack of water, and most harvests have failed. The situation is similarly grim for local fish farmers: previously sustainable harvest cycles of 3–4 months have now extended to over a year, with stunted fish growth, indicating severe water contamination. While PT Kristalin reportedly agreed to clean affected areas, the clean-up efforts were limited to dam structures and excluded essential irrigation channels that supply the fields. Despite repeated appeals to the company, remedial measures have been inadequate, intensifying the community’s distress.
The impact of PT Kristalin’s mining operations extends beyond Biha Village, affecting surrounding areas such as Legari SP 2 and other Legari settlements. Community leaders, including the Head of RW 02 in Dusun 2, have called upon district and provincial authorities to conduct urgent field assessments and enforce corporate accountability. They stress that the loss of agricultural and aquacultural productivity not only jeopardises local food security but also undermines the broader socio-economic fabric of the region.
The gold mining operations violate the right to an adequate standard of living, particularly the right to food and water, as protected under Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The contamination of irrigation and fishery water by extractive industry waste directly impairs access to subsistence resources and threatens the livelihoods of farming communities. Furthermore, the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), often invoked in Indigenous and local community contexts, appears to have been disregarded in the execution of mining activities without effective participation or remedy for the affected communities.
The ongoing lack of response from PT Kristalin underscores the urgent need for state oversight and corporate due diligence, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Local and national authorities must intervene swiftly to uphold the rights of communities whose lives have been disrupted.
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Human Rights Monitor
2) Escalating tensions: Outbreak of ethnic horizontal violence in Dogiyai in April‘25
On 14 and 15 April 2025, ethnic horizontal violence reportedly erupted in the Dogiyai Regency, Papua Tengah Province, leading to the death of one non-Papuan close to the Moanemani Terminal. The incidents sparked widespread unrest, prompting the security forces to deploy additional personnel to the region. Despite official claims that the situation was under control by 15 April, reports indicate that tensions persist, with allegations of further violence and fear of more outbreaks of ethnic violence among civilians in the area.
On 14 April 2025, at approximately 11:45 am, a violent robbery occurred in Dogiyai. Mr Handoko Febrino, a 39-year-old mobile phone kiosk owner, was approached by a man pretending to enquire about prepaid cards. Moments later, a group of a dozen armed individuals stormed the kiosk, brandishing axes, knives, and machetes. Although Mr Febrino managed to escape, the assailants vandalised the premises and looted several mobile phones.
Shortly thereafter, a separate and more deadly attack unfolded at the Kali Tuka Bridge near the Moanemani Terminal. Mr La Ello, a 50-year-old man, was ambushed by four individuals wielding machetes as he was on his way home to Ikebo. Suffering slash wounds to his face, he attempted to flee and hide in a nearby waste site. Despite receiving help, he succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Nabire General Hospital. A village leader named Mr Yosias Kobogau was reportedly injured by a bullet in the Kalawa Village on the same day.
As tensions escalated, joint military and police forces began arriving in Dogiyai at 3:00 pm, with additional personnel arriving at 7:00 pm. The increased presence of armed forces prompted concern among residents, as civil life became increasingly disrupted. Further security force personnel were deployed to Dogiyai on the following day.
Despite official claims that the situation was stabilising, reports on 15 April indicated a disturbing development near the Parish Church of Saint Peter in Mauwa, Dogiyai. While details remain scarce, the incident reportedly resembled previous acts of violence, raising concerns about the safety of civilians and the potential misuse of force by security personnel.
Background
Ethnic horizontal or lateral violence entails harmful, aggressive, and hostile behaviour by one or more individuals from an ethnic group or toward one or more individuals from another ethnic group. In the context of West Papua, it involves indigenous Papuans and non-Papuan/ migrants from other parts of Indonesia.
Outbreaks of unrest and ethnic horizontal violence in response to security force operations, crimes, or disputes between indigenous Papuans and non-Papuans are the result of the historically ingrained injustice and racial discrimination against indigenous Papuans in Indonesia. Recent political decisions regarding the Papuan Special Autonomy Law, economic development policies, and criminalisation of government critics have further entrenched injustice and racial discrimination. Increasing restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces are causing growing disagreement with the central government and the loss of trust in the Indonesian justice system.
These conditions provide fertile ground for inter-ethnic conflicts. The growing tensions have repeatedly triggered outbreaks of horizontal violence across West Papua in the past years. Indigenous Papuans living in the conurbations or near agricultural plantations or mining sites are increasingly marginalised, and many businesses and local markets in these areas are in the hands of non-Papuans, creating economic disparities, social envy and the impression that Indigenous Papuans are second-class citizens who can no longer shape a sustainable future for coming generations on their ancestral land. This observation aligns with findings by the Simon Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide (SSCPG). According to their Early Warning Project, Indonesia is currently ranked 27th in terms of its potential for mass atrocities. In the case of West Papua, the SSCPG identified precipitating factors for mass atrocities, among them increasing risk potential for riots, communal mobilisation, and an escalating armed conflict between the TPNPB and Indonesian security forces. Other structural risk factors are Indonesia’s history of atrocities, the ruthless exploitation of natural resources, the growing marginalisation and exclusion of indigenous Papuans from decision-making processes, horizontal conflicts between migrants and indigenous Papuans
Situation in Moanemani, Dogiyai Regency on 14 April 2025
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