1) IDP Update March’26: More military operations trigger new displacements and dampen the prospects of return

 

2) CSI statement at the UN Human Rights Council: Military operations exacerbate humanitarian crisis- in West Papua

3) Churches, rights groups oppose military’s battalion base in Papua

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1) IDP Update March’26: More military operations trigger new displacements and dampen the prospects of return

Human Rights News, Reports / Indonesia, West Papua / 27 March 2026 

Between January and March 2026, human rights defenders and local media covered new internal displacements in West Papua due to new security force raids and the increasing presence of military personnel in the central highlands. As of late March 2026, more than 107,039 civilians across multiple regencies remained internally displaced due to military operations and armed conflict (see table below).  Armed violence and military raids occurred in remote areas of West Papua, which are mainly inhabited by indigenous Papuans. The vulnerability of indigenous Papuans to internal displacement and state violence is further exacerbated by the tendency of security forces to racially profile and stigmatize indigenous Papuans as supporters or members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

Incidents triggering new internal displacements reportedly occurred in the regencies Mimika, Puncak, Intan Jaya, Tambrauw, Nabire, and Yahukimo.  An unknown number of indigenous Papuans were internally displaced due to armed conflict incidents in the Boven Digoel Regency in February 2026, and tribal warfare in the Kapiraya District of Paniai Regency in early March 2026.

Across all displacement sites, conditions remain consistently severe. Displaced populations face critical shortages of food, medicine, clean water, and shelter. Those taking refuge in forests are particularly vulnerable, with little to no humanitarian assistance reaching them, while individuals housed in temporary camps contend with dangerous overcrowding, limited resources, and a near-total breakdown of normal daily life.

HRM observed a significant raise in arbitrary detentions in conflict zones like Yahukimo, Intan Jaya , or Tambrauw since January 2026. Moreover, ongoing military operations reportedly involving battle drones, mortars and air raids in civilian populated areas across the central highlands (read sections Intan Jaya and Puncak below)  violate principles of distinction between combatants and non-combatants and  have resulted the cessation of daily activities and paralysation of health and education services. Such patterns cause fear among local communities and encourage the civilian population to leave these areas.

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) expressed their concerns over the growing numbers of IDPs due to increased military activity at an UN human Rights Council Session on 25 March 2026. Moreover, CSI noted that military operations in West Papua are closely linked to large-scale resource extraction projects involving nickel, gold, and industrial plantations. CSI supported the call made by the World Council of Churches  (WCC) at a UN Human Rights Council side event on March 4 2026.  Both organisations urge the Indonesian government to extend invitations to the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and to facilitate a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.”

Tambrauw

On 18 March 2026, joint Indonesian military and police forces conducted raids in the districts Fef and Bamus Bama, Tambrauw Regency, South West Papua province. Security force personnel reportedly detained at least 12 villagers without warrants. The military operation followed a violent incident on 16 March 2026 in the Jokbu Village, during which members of the West Papua National Liberation Aremy (TPNPB) killed two health workers. An unknown number of people in the districts Fef and Bamusbama reportedly fled to the forest or sought shelter with relatives in the Tambrauw’s main town Fef. Following the incident, local human rights defenders observed a second wave of displacement to the city of Sorong after additional security forces were deployed to Fef.

Detainees with their hands bound and visible injuries, lying on the floor at the Tambrauw Police Headquarters in Fef, 18 March 2026

Full update

https://humanrightsmonitor.org/reports/idp-update-march26-more-military-trigger-new-displacements-and-dampen-the-prospects-of-return/

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https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/csi-statement-at-the-un-human-rights-council-military-operations-exacerbate-humanitarian-crisis-in-west-papua/

2) CSI statement at the UN Human Rights Council: Military operations exacerbate humanitarian crisis- in West Papua

Human Rights News / Indonesia, West Papua / 27 March 2026 

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has called on the Indonesian government to grant international observers access to West Papua, warning that ongoing military operations in the region are driving a mounting humanitarian crisis. Speaking in an oral statement at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 25 March 2026, CSI representatives, Mr Joel Veldkamp, reported that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in West Papua has risen to 105,000  up from 85,000 just one year ago. The sharp increase, he argued, reflects an acceleration of Indonesian military activity in the territory.

West Papua’s indigenous population is overwhelmingly Christian, making it a distinct enclave within Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The region was transferred from Dutch to Indonesian administration in 1962,  more than a decade after Indonesian independence, a handover that sparked an independence movement that persists to this day.

According to CSI, the military operations are closely linked to large-scale resource extraction projects involving nickel, gold, and industrial plantations. “These projects are dispossessing the indigenous Papuan people of their lands on a massive scale, and threaten devastating ecological damage,” Veldkamp said. He added that the region has been largely closed to foreign journalists, independent observers, and international human rights bodies.

CSI is calling on Indonesia to facilitate a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and to extend invitations to relevant UN special procedures; steps the organisation says are essential for ensuring accountability and transparency in the region.

CSI’s statement echoed calls made at a UN Human Rights Council side event on March 4 2026, hosted by the World Council of Churches, which was also attended by a representative of the Indonesian government. WCC Director for International Affairs Peter Prove urged the Indonesian government to “extend invitations to the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and to facilitate a visit by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”

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https://www.ucanews.com/news/churches-rights-groups-oppose-militarys-battalion-base-in-papua/112469

3) Churches, rights groups oppose military’s battalion base in Papua

The military taking over the indigenous people's land violates several legal provisions protecting rights of Papuans 

 By Ryan Dagur Published: March 25, 2026 11:54 AM GMT 

Thirteen human rights and aid organizations, including church groups, have urged the Indonesian military to halt the construction of a new battalion base in Papua Province, arguing it could seize indigenous land and trigger conflicts.

The organizations jointly released a statement on March 25, saying the Territorial Development Infantry Battalion plans to build a base on 56 hectares of customary land in Oridek, Biak Numfor Regency, which belongs to nine indigenous clans.

The statement said the construction “has the potential to trigger a broader agrarian conflict."

The land release is legally flawed. The land is owned by nine clans of the Biak tribe who have never sat down to discuss it with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the coalition said.

The coalition of rights groups includes the Papua Legal Aid Institute, the Papua Franciscan Commission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, and the Synod of Protestant Churches.

The military’s move “blatantly violates several legal provisions protecting the rights of indigenous Papuans,” said Emanuel Gobay, a rights activist, and coalition partners told UCA News.

A 2021 law — the Special Autonomy for Papua — explicitly states that providing customary land for any purpose must be done through consultation with indigenous communities and with their agreement, Gobay said.

"In this case, this has been clearly ignored," he said.

Besides, the Oridek area has been designated as a protected forest and contains water sources for residents of Biak town.

The military has also not obtained the required licenses from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for construction in the area, Gobay said.

He said they reported the matter to the Papua representative of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission.

Apolos Sroyer, representing the Biak indigenous community, said they oppose the construction because the presence of soldiers "seriously disrupts the community's activities."

He said some community members “held limited and closed meetings with the military, then released the land" without informing most people about it.

The new battalion is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to create 100 units across the country, with the Papua region receiving 25 of them, the largest portion.

He also plans for 400 more before the end of his first term in October 2029. These battalions, he said, are not designated as combat forces but as civil-military development units.

Head of the Indonesian Army Information Service, Brigadier General Donny Pramono, told the media that he understands the differing opinions, but the battalion development is meant to support the region and “to strengthen food security and territorial development." 

He said the construction is planned on land “legally owned, and has been officially donated by its owner to the Indonesian Army."

Christian-majority Papua has experienced conflict and violence since the 1960s, when Indonesia took control of the territory after ending Dutch colonial rule.

A referendum to decide Papua's future was viewed as rigged in favor of Indonesia.

The National Commission on Human Rights documented 115 cases of violence in 2025, killing 130 people and injuring 88, most of them civilians. This marks an increase from 85 cases with 71 deaths in 2024.

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