2) DPD Papua Special Committee reports 124,000 displaced and 59 killed in 2026
3) Nduga’s only hospital enters third week of closure as unpaid staff walk out
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1) Indonesia urged to grant unfettered access to conflict-torn Papua
Decades of armed conflict in Christian-majority Papua left thousands killed and tens of thousands displaced
UCA News reporter Updated: October 19, 2026 11:55 AM GMT
A coalition of church, indigenous, civil society, women and youth groups has urged the Indonesian government to
grant international monitors unrestricted access to Papua and take immediate action on mass displacement and
lleged human rights abuses.
In a joint statement on Oct. 17, a total of 26 groups called on Jakarta to facilitate visits by the UN human rights office,
UN special rapporteurs, envoys of Pacific Island nations, international monitors and independent media.
The people of West Papua continue to face a severe human rights and human security crisis, the statement said.
Escalating armed conflict, intensified militarization, the shrinking of civic space and environmental degradation persist
without fundamental resolution, it added.
The signatories include the West Papua Council of Churches; Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) – Order
of Saint Augustine; JPIC Franciscans Papua; the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM) Papua;
the Kaki Abu Sorong
Legal Aid Institute; and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Papua, among others.
The coalition said ongoing military operations and armed conflict displaced 127,031 civilians since 2018, leaving many
without reliable access to health care, food, education and adequate shelter.
Internally displaced communities face severe shortages of basic life-saving services, said Rutina Labene of the
Centre for Human Rights Studies at Walterpost Theological College and the West Papua Council of Churches.
The government must guarantee immediate humanitarian relief and ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns
to ancestral lands, she said.
The groups also raised concerns about state-backed National Strategic Projects and expanding extractive
industries in South Papua. They said projects proceeding without the free, prior and informed consent of
Indigenous communities threaten the Malind,
Yeinan, Awuyu and Muyu peoples.
We demand an immediate halt to military expansion, the withdrawal of non-organic troops from civilian areas,
and the suspension of projects seizing customary land, said Beatrix Gebze of the Women's Care Advocacy
Institute in Merauke.
Gustaf Kawer, chair of the Association of Human Rights Advocates (PAHAM) Papua, said Indonesia's
domestic practices should reflect its international commitments.
Indonesia cannot champion human rights abroad while ignoring arbitrary surveillance, intimidation and the
criminalization of journalists and activists at home, Kawer said.
The appeal follows decisions by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) caucus in Koror, Palau, on Aug. 31 and
the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Communiqué supporting international access.
As an associate member of the MSG and a dialogue partner of the PIF, the Government of Indonesia bears a
moral, legal and diplomatic responsibility to respond to these regional decisions and appeals in an open, rational
and constructive
manner, the statement said.
It urged Indonesia to facilitate a visit by the UN human rights office and a proposed Pacific Islands Forum envoy
mission involving the MSG.
Allowing independent international monitoring is not a threat to national sovereignty; rather, it is a necessary step
towards transparency and building international trust, the coalition said.
Manfun Apolos Sroyer of the Papuan Customary Council said international access would promote transparency
rather than threaten Indonesian sovereignty.
It is the single most essential step towards building transparency and restoring international trust, he said.
Samuel Awom of KontraS Papua said churches, customary bodies, civil society and victims' groups were ready
to accompany international visitors and provide evidence and testimony.
Civil society across West Papua stands ready to assist UN and Pacific envoys so they can meet directly with
victims, survivors and Indigenous Papuans, he said.
In a statement, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said it rejected allegations of rights abuses in Papua during the
UN General Assembly debate in New York on Sept. 28.
It said the government takes credible allegations seriously and works closely with national institutions such
as the independent National Human Rights Commission in accordance with law.
The authorities said any UN visit should take place only after Indonesia agrees to it.
Conflict in Papua dates back to the 1960s when the region declared independence following the end of
Dutch colonial rule. However, Indonesia claimed the territory as an integral part and annexed it by force.
A pro-independence insurgency and the military's counter-insurgency operations have left thousands killed
and tens of thousands killed in Papua in the past decades.
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The Papua Special Committee of Indonesia’s Regional Representatives Council (DPD RI) reported to the council’s 3rd Plenary Session of the 2026–2027 Legislative Year that around 124,000 Papuans remain internally displaced by armed conflict and 59 people have been killed this year, (see photo on top). The committee concluded that civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with daily life, schooling and healthcare disrupted across conflict-affected districts in West Papua.
The displaced are concentrated in South-West Papua and Central Papua, the committee found, and most have not received adequate assistance. Its estimate, drawn from religious and traditional leaders and local communities, sits close to independent counts.
Human Rights Monitor recorded more than 127,000 by late August 2026, a
figure Christian Solidarity International raised at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October. It far exceeds the 22,000–22,661 that local authorities cited to the committee in
Timika on 17 September, a gap that led the committee to call for a single verified displacement database pooling government, church, customary and humanitarian data.
Of the 59 people killed in 2026, 43 were civilians, and around 50 more have been injured. The figures match Komnas HAM data presented in Timika, which counted 42 violent incidents in the first half of the year, with eight police and soldiers and eight members of armed groups among the dead alongside the civilians. The committee also reported that residents now face routine identity checks and must carry identification for everyday activities. While West Papua has not been declared a military operations zone, the heavy security force presence disrupts people’s ability to meet basic needs.
The conflict has hollowed out basic services. Teachers and health workers have withdrawn from a number of affected areas, leaving schools unable to run normal classes and clinics unable to function properly. Displaced parents in Puncak told committee chair Yorrys Raweyai in
August that their children could not get an education and that families could not return home because the situation had not calmed. The committee has argued that returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified, and preceded by restored schools, clinics, housing and security; otherwise, deputy chair Filep Wamafma warned, displacement will simply recur.
The findings come after months of field visits and mounting pressure on Jakarta. Set up in July as violence escalated, the committee has pressed the government for a national evaluation of its Papua strategy and a roadmap with deadlines and accountability. It has also urged President Prabowo Subianto to form an investigation, reconciliation or dialogue team. Komnas HAM’s Papua has backed the committee and said dialogue involving the government, the Free Papua Organisation and community leaders is the only route to a settlement. Pacific leaders at the UN General Assembly and
church leaders in Papua have meanwhile called on Indonesia to admit the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Jakarta rejects the criticism and blames armed Papuan groups for the displacement.
The committee will now examine two issues in greater depth: human rights violations in Papua Highlands Province, and the impact of investment on communities and humanitarian conditions in South Papua and Papua provinces, where large food and energy projects have drawn growing local opposition. According to the committee, the deeper inquiry is needed so that the DPD can produce more comprehensive recommendations and promote a peaceful and dignified resolution of the West Papua conflict, with the protection of civilians as the first priority.
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Healthcare in Indonesia’s remote Nduga Regency has ground to a halt after medical staff at the Elvrida Sara District General Hospital (RSUD) suspended all services on 3 October 2026, citing five months of unpaid wages (see photo on top, source:
Suara Papua). More than two weeks on, the hospital remains shut and residents have no clear indication of when it will reopen.
Doctors, nurses, contract workers and support staff say they have not been paid since May 2ß26. In a written statement issued earlier this month, they formally handed operational responsibility for the facility back to the Nduga Regency Government and said they would not resume work until their entitlements are settled. Their demands include the five months of outstanding honoraria, overtime pay dating back to January, and a wage increase.
The hospital’s director has confirmed the closure and attributed the arrears to delays in the disbursement of Special Autonomy (Otsus) funds from the central government. Otsus money forms a large share of local budgets across the Papuan provinces, and interruptions to its flow quickly translate into unpaid salaries and stalled services at the district level.
For Nduga, a highland regency with limited road access and a long history of
internal displacementlinked to armed conflict, the loss of its district hospital is particularly acute. Residents needing anything beyond basic care now face long and costly journeys to facilities in neighbouring regencies, if they can travel at all.
According to an article published by local newsoutlet
Suara Papua, government functions have largely stalled since the death of former acting regent Dinar Kelnea. The current regent, Yoas Beon, is governing without a deputy. As of this week, the Nduga Regency Government has issued no public statement on when staff will be paid or when the hospital will reopen.
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