2) MSG pushes UN Human Rights Council on long-standing call for visit to West Papua
3) Security operation in Dekai District leaves two TPNPB members and one civilian dead
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https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/alleged-security-operations-kill-three-civilians-in-korowai-area-yahukimo-hundreds-of-indigenous-peoples-flee-to-safety/
1) Alleged security operations kill three civilians in Korowai area, Yahukimo – hundreds of indigenous peoples flee to safety
Between 24 and 30 July 2026, joint Indonesian military and police operations reportedly killed three civilians in the Korowai region, causing hundreds of indigenous Papuans, including children, pregnant women and elderly people, to flee their homes and seek shelter in the surrounding forest (see photo on top, source: independent HRD). The operation area is located in the border area between the regencies Yahukimo, Highlands Papua Province, and Boven Digoel, South Papua Province.
Preliminary reports from the ground identified the victims as Mr Yatimin Wonda, Mr Wanengga Kogoya, and one unidentified member of the Korowai indigenous community. The precise locations and times of the killings, and the circumstances in which the victims died remain unknown. Local sources and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) alleged that security forces fired into civilian settlements and conducted aerial and ground operations involving helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). These allegations have not yet been independently verified.
The security operation reportedly followed the killing of American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin in Balinggama Village, Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, Highlands Papua Province, on 2 July 2026. Gosselin was flying an Associated Mission Aviation aircraft carrying seven indigenous Papuan passengers when members of TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo allegedly shot him and set fire to the aircraft. All seven passengers reportedly survived. The TPNPB publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that the aircraft had entered an area it classified as a “red zone”.
According to a TPNPB statement issued on 30 July 2026, Indonesian security forces began to mobilise in the Korowai region on 19 July. A separate field report dated 27 July stated that the operation had been underway for four days, indicating that armed clashes may have begun around 24 July. The precise start date of the operation currently remains unclear.
Local accounts alleged that the ground forces moving through the forest were supported by at least three military helicopters and multiple drones during the operation. Preliminary field accounts accused security forces of attacking villages and local gold-mining sites with gunfire from the air. The exact locations of the alleged attacks have not yet been identified, and no visual or forensic documentation confirming the use of aerial weapons has yet been made publicly available.
Hundreds of residents reportedly fled in panic towards forest areas and neighbouring parts of Yahukimo Regency and Pegunungan Bintang Regency without adequate food, drinking water, shelter or medical assistance. Difficulties in communication and alleged restrictions on internet access have further impeded independent verification and the transmission of information from the affected communities.
As of 30 July 2026, neither the Indonesian military, police or relevant local government authorities have issued a public statement, responding to the allegations concerning the three civilian deaths, aerial attacks and internal displacement in the Korowai area. Independent investigators and humanitarian organisations have reportedly not yet been granted verifiable access to the affected locations.
Human rights analysis
All parties to the armed conflict in West Papua must distinguish at all times between civilians and persons directly participating in hostilities. Attacks may only be directed against military objectives and must comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. The killing of Nicholas F. Gosselin by TPNPB members does not justify retaliatory attacks against civilians or civilian settlements. If security forces fired indiscriminately into inhabited areas, deliberately targeted civilians or used explosive weapons without taking feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm, such conduct would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to unlawful killings.
The alleged deaths also engage Indonesia’s obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the right to life. Every potentially unlawful death must be investigated promptly, independently, impartially and transparently in accordance with the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death. The authorities must secure relevant locations, identify the deceased, document injuries, conduct appropriate forensic examinations and ensure that witnesses and relatives can participate without intimidation.
The displacement of civilians into remote forest areas raises additional concerns under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, particularly the prohibitions against arbitrary displacement and the obligations to provide displaced persons with food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection. Children affected by the operation are entitled to special protection under Articles 6 and 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Video allegedly showing armed clashes in the Korowai area in late July’26
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-106-2026
Location: Yahukimo regency, Papua, Indonesia (-4.4939717, 139.5279996) Korowai area, bordering area between the regencies Boven Digoel and Yahukimo
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo
Total number of victims: 3
Document ID: HRM-CAS-106-2026
Location: Yahukimo regency, Papua, Indonesia (-4.4939717, 139.5279996) Korowai area, bordering area between the regencies Boven Digoel and Yahukimo
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo
Total number of victims: 3
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Yatimin Wonda | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing |
| 2. | 1 | Wanengga Kogoya | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | unlawful killing |
| 3. | 1 | unknown | adult | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: drones and clusterammunition, indigenous peoples, security force violence
Sources:
Suara Papua
PapuaNews Online
Related Cases:
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2) MSG pushes UN Human Rights Council on long-standing call for visit to West Papua
The Secretariat of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has brought the Pacific’s long-standing call for a United Nations human rights mission to West Papua, Indonesia, to the UN in Geneva (see photo on top, source: Suara Papua). The call was formally conveyed on 25 July 2026 during the 19th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), an advisory body to the UN Human Rights Council that provides expert guidance on the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The intervention sought to advance a request that Pacific leaders have repeated for more than half a decade. They have been calling upon the Indonesian Government to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the region. The request was first endorsed by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2019, reaffirmed by MSG leaders at their 2023 summit in Port Vila, and reiterated by both the Forum and the MSG at a leaders’ meeting in 2025.
Acting Director-General Ilan Kiloe said the Geneva meeting marked an important step in implementing decisions taken by Pacific and Melanesian leaders. “This is a small but significant step towards implementing the leaders’ decisions to advance the voice of Melanesian peoples on the international stage and demonstrates the organisation’s strong commitment to promoting justice, human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples,” Kiloe said.
He added that the Secretariat would continue building on its indigenous rights advocacy, following its engagement in the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion process on states’ obligations regarding climate change.
During the mission, the MSG delegation also met senior UN officials and experts, including EMRIP representatives, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, UN treaty bodies, the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples, and the UN Office on Youth. The visit closed with a briefing for MSG ambassadors and permanent representatives in Geneva, led by Vanuatu’s Ambassador Sylvain Kalsakau at the Permanent Mission of the Pacific Islands Forum.
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3) Security operation in Dekai District leaves two TPNPB members and one civilian dead
29 July 2026 / 2 minutes of reading
A security force operation in the KM 4 Logpon area of Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province on 17 July 2026, reportedly resulted in the death of two members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and one civilian named Mr Yafoluk Heluka (see photo om top, source: independent HRD). According to information published by Damai Cartenz Task Force Unit, all three persons killed were associated with the TPNPB. The conflicting information regarding the alleged civilian status of one victim requires an independent and transparent investigation into the case.
According to the information received, joint personnel from the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and the Damai Cartenz Task Force conducted an operation in the Logpon area at approximately 05.45 am after receiving intelligence concerning the presence of TPNPB members. Authorities claimed that officers encountered armed resistance and responded the fire near civilian settlements, causing residents to flee out of fear of being shot or arrested. Following the shooting, security force members allegedly seized three firearms, 43 rounds of ammunition, bladed weapons, a radio, and several mobile phones. Four people identified by the initials OH, SM, MM and LM were reportedly taken into custody for questioning, while the three bodies were admitted to Dekai Regional General Hospital.
Human rights analysis
Under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Indonesian authorities must protect the right to life. Moreover, the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death obliges authorities to investigate any potentially unlawful death involving state agents. Where an operation is conducted as a law-enforcement action, lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life. Authorities must preserve the scene, conduct independent forensic examinations and autopsies, document all injuries, examine the weapons allegedly seized and disclose the identities and legal status of those detained. Any investigation into the case should comply with the Minnesota Protocol.
The two TPNPB members and Mr Yafoluk Heluka’s body were buried next to each other on
The two TPNPB members below were reprotedly shot dead by joint security forces on 17 July 2026
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-105-2026
Location: Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.8638158, 139.4837298) Logpon area of Dekai district
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
Document ID: HRM-CAS-105-2026
Location: Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.8638158, 139.4837298) Logpon area of Dekai district
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Yafoluk Heluka | diverse | adult | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Perpetrator details: personnel from the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and the Damai Cartenz Task Force
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violenceSources:
SUara Papua
Indonesiadefense.com
CNN Indonesia
Related Cases:
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