1) Papuan pastor killed during military operation in Intan Jaya
Human rights analysis
A rescue team discovered and recovered the body of Rev Elianus Agimbau on 30 June 2026
Document ID: HRM-CAS-103-2026
Location: Mbamogo, Agisiga, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia (-3.6708932, 137.0680343)
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Intan Jaya > Agisiga
Total number of victims: 1
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Elianus Agimbau | male | 20 | Indigenous Peoples, Religious Group | right to life, unlawful killing |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
Sources:
BBC Indonesia
BBC Indonesia
Suara Papua
Related Cases:
2) Transmigration residents and Moi Aresi Clan challenge palmoil company over alleged unlawful land use in Sorong Regency
Former transmigration residents seek compensation for 19 years of land use
Moi Aresi clan alleges occupation of customary land without consent
Human rights analysis
Document ID: HRM-CAS-102-2026
Location: Klasof, Moisegen District, Sorong Regency Klasof Village, Moisegen District, Sorong Regency
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > Sorong > Moisegen
Total number of victims: hundreds
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | hundreds | mixed | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Peasant | criminalisation |
Perpetrator: Private Company
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Jayapura, Jubi – Indonesian Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Muhammad Saleh Mustafa, accompanied by senior military officers and representatives of state-owned defense manufacturer PT Pindad, attended a groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday (July 5, 2026) for the construction of the Yonif TP 861/Maleo Kamur Territorial Development Infantry Battalion headquarters and the Merah Putih Propellant Plant in Merauke, South Papua.
According to media reports and information shared on social media, PT Pindad said the Phase III Merah Putih Propellant Plant and an ammunition manufacturing facility will be built on a 226-hectare site at Kilometer 58 in Wanam, Ilwayab District, Merauke Regency.
The facilities are expected to produce 1,250 metric tons of propellant and 170 million rounds of ammunition annually, supporting Indonesia’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency in the production of ammunition for small-caliber weapons within the next two to three years.
Plans to allocate land in Wanam for a propellant manufacturing facility were first disclosed by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan in September last year, four days after the issuance of Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Regulation No. 16 of 2025, which amended the list of National Strategic Projects (PSN).
At the time, Zulkifli said the planned release of 481,000 hectares of forest land would support not only food production but also the construction of a propellant factory.
Since then, however, no detailed planning documents for the project have been made publicly available. Field observations also indicate that many local residents were unaware of the proposed development.
The government is developing Wanam, Merauke, and surrounding areas under the National Strategic Project framework as part of the National Food, Energy, and Water Self-Sufficiency Zone (KSPEAN) in South Papua.
The initiative includes the development of large-scale modern rice fields, sugarcane and oil palm plantations, biodiesel and bioethanol industries, and the expansion of Indonesia’s defense industry, including the construction of the planned propellant plant.
In 2025, the government approved the release of 486,939 hectares of forest land to support KSPEAN projects across South Papua.
“The entire National Strategic Project and KSPEAN area in South Papua lies within the customary territories of Indigenous Papuans and consists of ancestral land belonging to local Indigenous communities,” said Frangky Samperante, executive director of the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation.
“The planned development will have significant social, economic, cultural, spiritual, and environmental impacts, particularly on the safety and well-being of Indigenous communities and other vulnerable groups living in and around the project area,” he said.
Samperante said previous experiences with extractive industries and military infrastructure projects in Papua have repeatedly caused social, economic, and political disruption within Indigenous communities.
He said such developments have often been accompanied by arbitrary and excessive use of force, violence, suppression of dissent, arbitrary arrests and detention, displacement of residents, and loss of life, with the scale of both the conflict and its human impact continuing to grow.
“Militarization has also been linked to economic crimes and environmental destruction through security-related business activities and involvement in the exploitation of natural resources. It has also enabled the expansion of extractive industries and environmentally destructive projects, displacing Indigenous communities from their ancestral lands and traditional livelihoods while undermining their rights to land and natural resources,” said Teddy Wakum, director of the Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) Merauke Office.
Teddy said government policies and development projects centered on large-scale food and energy industries, along with the ongoing militarization of the region, should be brought to an end if they continue to fuel injustice, exploit natural resources, deepen social divisions, and undermine the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous communities.
“These policies run counter to the principles of sustainable development and democracy. They also violate Indonesia’s Constitution, national laws, and international human rights and environmental standards,” Teddy said.
Violation of Indigenous rights
Frangky and Teddy argued that the government’s KSPEAN development program, together with plans to expand the defense industry by building a propellant plant and military headquarters on customary land, infringes on the rights of Indigenous communities.
They said the projects conflict with Articles 18B(2) and 28I(3) of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, which recognize and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples. They also cited Articles 2, 4, and 9 of Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights, which guarantee fundamental rights, including the rights to life and liberty.
They further argued that environmental degradation and the exploitation of natural resources violate the public’s constitutional right to a healthy environment, as protected under Article 28H(1) of the Constitution and Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management.
According to them, the government’s failure to ensure meaningful participation by Indigenous communities in decisions affecting development projects also contradicts the participatory principles set out in Law No. 2/2012 on Land Acquisition for Public Interest.
“International human rights instruments—including Article 30 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples—make clear that military facilities, including defense industries, propellant factories, military bases, and other military infrastructure, should not be established on Indigenous lands,” Frangky said.
He added that such projects should only proceed when justified by an overriding public interest and only after the government has conducted genuine consultations with affected Indigenous communities through customary decision-making processes and obtained their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) before using customary land for military purposes.
The two activists also argued that the proposed propellant plant in Merauke conflicts with the humanitarian principle of maintaining a safe distance between military objectives and civilian populations, a concept recognized under international humanitarian law.
Under international humanitarian law, they noted, weapons and ammunition production facilities may be classified as military objectives, making them lawful targets during armed conflict.
“For that reason, such facilities should be located at a safe distance from residential areas to reduce the risk of civilian casualties and damage to civilian property should they ever become military targets,” Teddy said.
He added that even outside situations of armed conflict, civilians remain vulnerable to accidents, negligence, or failures in ammunition management. He pointed to the deadly explosion during the disposal of obsolete ammunition in Garut as an example of the risks such facilities can pose to nearby communities.
Teddy said the construction of strategic defense facilities should therefore be based on comprehensive risk assessments, careful site selection that meets safety standards and humanitarian distance principles, and measures that ensure the highest level of protection for civilians.
“We, the coalition of civil society organizations, human rights and environmental defenders, and Indigenous leaders affected by the KSPEAN National Strategic Project, united under the Merauke Solidarity coalition, strongly urge the President to review the KSPEAN development program and immediately halt plans to establish a defense industrial zone and propellant plant in South Papua Province,” Frangky said.
He said the coalition believes the project carries a significant risk of triggering serious human rights violations, environmental degradation, and escalating conflict. For that reason, it is calling on the government to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by requiring both state-owned and private project developers to identify, prevent, mitigate, and monitor potential human rights risks at the earliest stages of project planning and implementation.
“The state should no longer grant permits or provide public support to companies whose business activities risk causing serious human rights violations, particularly if they refuse to cooperate in addressing those risks,” Frangky said.
Teddy also called on PT Pindad, as well as companies involved in energy, food, and infrastructure projects under the KSPEAN initiative in South Papua, to comply with international human rights standards.
“We urge PT Pindad and all companies investing in and developing defense, energy, food, and supporting infrastructure projects under the KSPEAN program in South Papua to conduct comprehensive human rights due diligence and obtain the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous communities before proceeding with any investment or project development,” Teddy said. (*)
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