2) Nduga lawmaker calls for review of security force deployment after fatal shooting
3) Two Papuan civilians killed and one injured during military operation in Nduga – One of the deceased 16 years old
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1)Papua Monitor Q3 2026: Conflict escalates, civic space shrinks as Pacific leaders renew calls for UN access
This 10-page report lists cases and developments, including human rights violations and their patterns; developments in the armed conflict and its impact on civilians; significant political shifts in Indonesia affecting West Papua; and international responses and initiatives.
Summary
Human rights
One of the most significant developments during the third quarter of 2026 was an apparent increase in restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Documented cases indicate that Jayapura City and Sentani, Jayapura Regency, remained hotspots of police repression. The pattern of cases indicate that particularly Jayapura city and Sentani, Jayapura Regency, remain hotspots of police repression. Activists in these areas were forcibly dispersed and subjected to ill-treatment during peaceful demonstrations or while distributing leaflets for such events. A study entitled ‘Ever Shrinking Civic Spacetime in Papua’, developed by researchers from Universitas Gadjah Mada and the Papua Democratic Institute, described the particularly violent restrictions affecting civic space in West Papua. Meanwhile counter-insurgency operations in the central highlands continued in Yahukimo and Intan Jaya, reportedly resulting in civilian casualties and new incidents of internal displacements (see Conflict section below).
The number of individuals recorded as affected by documented human rights concerns rose from 121 in the second quarter to 828 in the third quarter. This increase was largely driven by a single mass food poisoning incident under the government-funded Free Nutritious Meals programme, in which 543 people received medical treatment. Several incidents in which large numbers of protesters were subjected to police violence during the dispersal of peaceful demonstrations further add to the increase. Moreover, the growing rush for customary lands in West Papua threatens the livelihood of entire local communities. Acts of landgrabbing involving private companies but also the military such as in Biak, Merauke, or Teluk Bintuni affect indigenous communities, depending on their land for food security, cultural practices and traditional medicines (see table above). Two reports published in August 2026 by the Pusaka Foundation and Satya Bumi document what their authors describe as widespread violations of indigenous peoples’ rights caused by the National Strategic Project (PSN) for the Food and Energy Estate Area (KPPE) in Merauke Regency, South Papua.
In early August, Indonesia’s Supreme Court imposed a death sentence on Karel Fatem, a Papuan prisoner allegedly affiliated with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Lower courts had sentenced him to life over the 2022 shooting of a soldier. Protesters gathered outside Sorong prison on 12 August. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) condemned the ruling, warning that carrying out the death sentence would set a dangerous precedent for Papuan political prisoners
Accountability for security-force violence remained rare, particularly if human rights violations occurred in remote conflict areas in the central highlands. Numerous cases from Dogiyai, Puncak, Mimika and Intan Jaya, and a Sorong torture complaint stalled for sixteen months unresolved. Authorities failed to initiate prompt investigations or identify suspects, adding to the climate of widespread impunity in West Papua. An exception is the death of 18-year-old Pendite Weya in a June explosion in Lanny Jaya. A police team returned to the scene on 11 August to examine the site of the crime and question witnesses.
Conflict
Between July and September 2026, the armed conflict in West Papua remained highly escalated while spreading into new or renewed geographical clusters of violence and civilian harm. The most pronounced new escalation occurred in Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, following the killing of US pilot Nicholas F. Goselin by members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) on 2 July. Subsequent troop deployments and joint ground-and-air operations extended from Sobaham District into the Korowai area bordering Yahukimo, Boven Digoel and Pegunungan Bintang regencies. The Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province, meanwhile remained a protracted conflict hotspot, with continuing military operations, alleged drone attacks, civilian casualties and mass displacement. The developments indicate a broader trend towards geographically dispersed counter-insurgency operations involving drones, helicopters and increasingly dense military deploymentsm in the central highlands.
According to Human Rights Monitor’s (HRM) estimates, at least 127,031 people remained internally displaced by armed conflict and military operations across West Papua as of late August 2026. Separately, on 7 July 2026, Deputy Human Rights Minister Mugiyanto Sipin acknowledged preliminary government figures indicating approximately 122,000 internally displaced persons. The Yahukimo Regency, Highlands Papua Province, saw a sharp escalation of armed conflict and displacement in July and August 2026, centred on the Korowai area. In addition, increasing armed violence in Dekai town and military deployments to the Sobaham district in late July 2026, reportedly caused indigenous Papuans to flee their homes.
HRM documented 42 violent attacks and armed clashes throughout the third quarter of 2026, a slightly higher number than in the previous quarter, counting 36 clashes. The majority of armed hostilities during the reporting period occurred in Yahukimo, with 21 armed clashes and attacks, followed by the regencies Intan Jaya and Jayawijaya, with 4 armed clashes and attacks, each. Repeated armed hostilities were also documented from the regencies of Tolikara and Nduga. Isolated incidents of armed violence occurred in the regencies Sorong, Paniai, Maybrat, Puncak Jaya and Mimika.
HRM counted 25 civilians killed and 3 injured by the TPNPB. Eleven civilians, including six children, died in a fire in Enarotali, Paniai Regency, on 7 September 2026. The TPNPB subsequently claimed responsibility for setting fire to buildings in the area, although the circumstances and direct cause of the victims’ deaths have not been independently established. Meanwhile, 7 civilians were killed, and 10 were wounded by security force members during armed clashes or counter-insurgency operations. Concerning the combatants, 17 security force members were killed, and 8 were injured during this period. In contrast, the TPNPB reportedly lost 12 combatants, with 6 guerrilla fighters being injured during armed clashes. The conflict casualty figures are presented separately from Table 1, which records alleged extrajudicial killings attributed to state actors. The two datasets may contain overlapping cases and should not be added together.
Comprehensive data on armed conflict violence in West Papua is available in the HRM 2025 annual report, published in March 2026.
Political developments
On 9 July 2026, President Prabowo Subianto announced that a scientific expedition in the Papua mountains had found “very large” gold and other mineral reserves. The expedition, made up of the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, BRIN) and several universities with support by the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI), had been under way for only two or three weeks. He gave no location or size. Prabowo presented the find as part of a broader push for resource and economic self-reliance, alongside the B50 biodiesel launch and crackdowns on smuggling and corruption.
On 6 August 2026, Prabowo met about 150 BRIN researchers at the Presidential Palace, where agency head Arif Satria said Indonesia must build nuclear capabilities now so that it is not merely a technology buyer when it adopts nuclear power. BRIN cited potential reserves of 89,000 tonnes of uranium and 143,000 tonnes of thorium. BRIN also reported progress in uranium purification technology. Separately, a livestream of Prabowo’s 31 July speech to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) was interrupted while he was discussing other countries’ nuclear weapons. The video reportedly disappeared for a time and returned in edited form, prompting questions online about what was cut.
Over July and August 2026, Indonesia deepened defence ties across multiple partners: it signed a BrahMos supersonic missile deal with India during PM Modi’s visit, agreed with Thai PM Anutin to expand military cooperation, held talks with senior U.S. defence official Elbridge Colby, and reached an agreement with China to boost military links and cooperate on minerals, energy and technology.
International developments
Pacific leaders from the Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, and Vanuatu have used the 81st UN General Assembly in New York to renew calls for Indonesia to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua. The demands are a response to re-appearing reports of serious human rights violations in West Papua over the past decades. Indonesia rejected the criticism in its right of reply, stating that credible allegations would be taken seriously and addressed through national institutions and legal mechanisms, including the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Indonesia is coming under growing regional pressure to allow a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua, after Melanesian leaders warned that Jakarta’s standing in their regional bloc could be reviewed if the long-standing invitation does not go ahead. Meeting on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ summit in Koror, Palau, on 31 August 2026, the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) asked its current chair, Fiji, to write to Indonesia requesting access for the High Commissioner’s office so that a report on the human rights situation in the territory can be tabled at the next MSG summit in 2027. The MSG Secretariat formally conveyed the long-standing call for a United Nations human rights mission to West Papua, Indonesia, to the UN in Geneva during the 19th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), held in Geneva from 13 to 17 July 2026.
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2) Nduga lawmaker calls for review of security force deployment after fatal shooting
Nuevaterra Mambor October 26, 2026
Sentani, Jubi – A member of the Nduga Regency Legislative Council has called on Indonesia’s central government to review the presence of non-organic security forces in Nduga, in Papua Pegunungan province, following the fatal shooting of three local residents.
Leri Gwijangge, a politician from the Perindo Party, made the call after three residents were reportedly shot in Yosoma Nonggolait, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, on Friday, 23 October 2026.
The reported victims were a village official from Gilingan Vilage, Masut Serera (27), a student, Kilikia Kerebea (14), and a civilian, Kabera Kerebea (20).
According to reports, Masut sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and head, with four bullet wounds recorded. Kelikia was reportedly shot in the chest and abdomen. Both died from their injuries.
Kabera reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to the upper right arm and is receiving medical treatment.
Local residents suspect members of the Indonesian military’s Habema Operations Command were responsible for the shooting. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Gwijangge expressed concern over the incident and called on law enforcement authorities to conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation in accordance with the law.
He also urged human rights advocates and the National Commission on Rights (Komnas HAM) to pay close attention to the case and investigate the facts on the ground within their respective mandates.
“Every human being as the right to life. Under both God’s law and state law, human life must be respected and protected,” Gwijangge said in a telephone interview on Saturday, 24 October 2026.
He said anyone found responsible for breaking the law should face legal proceedings, regardless of their position or affiliation.
Gwijangge said Nduga residents were demanding protection, justice, respect for their right to life and guarantees for their safety as citizens.
He cited Article 28A and Article 28(1) of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, which protect the right to life, as well as Article 9 of Low No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights.
“These provisions form the highest legal basis for protecting everyone’s right to lede,” he said.
Gwijangge also raised questions about Law No. 34 of 2004 on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), as amended by Law No.3 of 2025, which provides a legal framework for assessing the military’s duties and responsibilities.
He called on the Indonesian president and the leadership of the TNI and National Police to review security operations in Nduga, including deployment of non-organic troops and the presence of security posts in the regency.
He said the safety of civilians and the concerns of the local communities should be central to decisions about whether troops needed to remain in the area.
“Alleged legal violations resulting in the loss of human life must be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
Gwijangge said he hoped the government would fulfil its responsibility to protect civilians and ensure justice for the victim and their bereaved families.
“The state has an obligation to protect civilians, justice must be delivered for the victims, and peace in Nduga must be built on respect for their right to life and human dignity,” he said. (*)
Author
Nuevaterra Mambor
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3) Two Papuan civilians killed and one injured during military operation in Nduga – One of the deceased 16 years old
On 23 October 2026, joint security force personnel, reportedly belonging to the Rajawali VI Task Force, shot dead two indigenous Papuans and injured another in the Yosoma Village, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua Highlands Province. Local sources identified the deceased as Mr Masut Serera, 25, and Mr Helkia Kerebea, 16 (see photo on top: source: independent HRD). The injured survivor Mr Kambara Kerebea, 18, sustained a bullet wound to the right arm. The incident raises serious concerns about the potentially unlawful use of lethal force against civilians.
The operation reportedly involved military drone surveillance followed by a ground operation in a residential area. While military authorities claimed that soldiers had encountered armed members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), a leaked internal police report acknowledged that two civilians were shot dead and subsequently concluded that neither deceased victim was a member of an armed group or listed as a wanted person. Human rights defenders also reported that six other persons, including a woman and a child, were arbitrarily detained during the operation. Their identities, legal status and whereabouts have not been independently confirmed.
According to a report attributed to the Nduga District Police Criminal Investigation Unit, personnel from the Rajawali VI Task Force conducted a drone patrol over Yosoma Village at approximately 09:15 am on 23 October 2026. Soldiers reportedly observed an unidentified individual carrying what appeared to be a long-barrelled firearm and subsequently launched a ground operation to conduct an arrest. When the individual allegedly fled, military personnel opened fire, striking two civilians. The victims were taken to Military District Command 1706/Nduga (Kodim 1706), where police investigators arrived at approximately 2:41 pm to collect fingerprints and preliminary evidence (see photos below, source: independent HRD).
Accounts from local residents differ substantially. According to a witness testimony, three civilians were preparing food and drinking coffee at a residence when military personnel approached in a vehicle at about 10:00 am. Frightened by the sudden arrival of soldiers, the men reportedly fled towards a nearby garden. Soldiers allegedly opened fire, killing two and injuring a third. The survivor denied carrying firearms or participating in armed activities. The police report documented severe injuries to the head, torso, buttocks and hands of one deceased victim and to the chest and back of the other (see photos below, source: independent HRD).
On 24 October 2026, the Habema Joint Operations Command claimed that its personnel had exchanged fire with suspected members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) near Nonggoloit Village, Kenyam District. Military authorities reported recovering air rifles, traditional weapons, communications equipment and approximately IDR 88 million in cash. However, the internal police report did not describe an exchange of gunfire and stated that the deceased were neither members of an armed criminal group nor wanted persons.
On 26 October 2026, the Papua Foundation for Justice and Human Integrity (YKKMP), working with PAHAM Papua, reported visiting the injured survivor, Mr Kambara Kerebea, at Timika General Hospital. Humanitarian representatives confirmed that he had sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm and was scheduled to undergo surgery on 27 October 2026. Separately, initial reports alleged that six civilians had been apprehended following the shooting, while the police document referred to five witnesses questioned at the Nduga District Police Headquarters. It remains unclear whether these accounts concern the same individuals.
Public protest and reactions from civil society and authorities
On 24 October 2026, hundreds of residents, including relatives, students, church representatives and community leaders gathered in Kenyam to protest the killings. The demonstration began at approximately 06:40 am at the Kenyam Cross Roundabout before participants marched to the Kenyam Community Health Centre to collect the victims’ bodies. At approximately 10:00 am, demonstrators brought the bodies to the Nduga District Police Headquarters, demanding an independent investigation and criminal accountability. Family representatives rejected allegations that the deceased belonged to any armed organisation and reportedly requested forensic examinations. According to local human rights defenders, their request was not accommodated. The bodies were subsequently returned to the families and cremated in Yosoma Village at approximately 6:00 pm in accordance with local customary practices (see video below, source: independent HRD).
The demonstration was attended by the Regent and Secretary of Nduga Regency, alongside other local government representatives (see video below, source: independent HRD). Protesters demanded the identification and prosecution of the soldiers responsible, the withdrawal of non-organic military personnel from Nduga Regency and measures to prevent further violence against civilians. They also called on the local administration and the Nduga Regency Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) to oversee the investigation until accountability was established.
Civil society and religious organisations condemned the shootings. The Department of Justice and Peace of the Kemah Injil Church (KINGMI) in Papua called on President Prabowo Subianto, the TNI leadership, the National Police and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to ensure an independent and transparent investigation. YKKMP and PAHAM Papua began documenting the incident and providing humanitarian assistance to the injured survivor.
The Habema Joint Operations Commander, Brigadier General Riyanto, expressed regret over the fatalities but maintained that military personnel had acted professionally and proportionately during an alleged armed confrontation.
Human rights analysis
The incident raises serious concerns regarding the right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Articles 28A and 28I(1) of the Indonesian Constitution. Under international human rights standards governing law enforcement operations, intentional lethal force is permissible only when strictly unavoidable to protect life against an imminent threat. The available accounts do not establish that the deceased posed such a threat when soldiers opened fire. The alleged possession of a firearm or flight from security personnel cannot, by itself, justify lethal force.
Given the ongoing armed conflict in West Papua, international humanitarian law may also be applicable if the operation had a sufficient nexus to a non-international armed conflict. Under customary international humanitarian law, civilians are protected against direct attack unless and for such time as they directly participate in hostilities. The possession of hunting equipment, traditional weapons or other civilian belongings does not sufficiently establish direct participation in hostilities. The conflicting descriptions of the incident, particularly the military’s allegation of an exchange of fire and the police’s acknowledgement that the deceased were not identified as members of an armed group, require careful scrutiny.
The deaths also trigger Indonesia’s obligation to investigate potentially unlawful deprivation of life. Under the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016), investigations must be prompt, thorough, effective, independent, impartial and transparent. Investigators should preserve and examine the drone footage, operational orders, firearms and ammunition records, medical documentation and witness testimony. The reported cremation of the deceased makes the preservation of existing forensic and medical evidence particularly important.
Any unlawful deprivation of liberty would additionally engage Article 9 of the ICCPR, while the reported killing and detention of minors requires scrutiny under of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The authorities must ensure continued medical treatment for the injured survivor, protection of witnesses, access to information for the victims’ families and effective remedies.
The bodies of Mr Masut Serera and Mr Helkia Kerebea
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-149-2026
Location: Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.6049794, 138.3863687)Yosoma Village
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Nduga > Kenyam
Total number of victims: 4
Document ID: HRM-CAS-149-2026
Location: Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.6049794, 138.3863687)Yosoma Village
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Nduga > Kenyam
Total number of victims: 4
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Kambara Kerebea | diverse | 18 | Indigenous Peoples | ill-treatment |
| 2. | 1 | Masut Serera | mixed | 25 | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing |
| 3. | 1 | Helkia Kerebea | 16 | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing | |
| 4. | 1 | unknown | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Perpetrator details: joint security force personnel, reportedly belonging to the Rajawali VI Task Force
Issues: drones and clusterammunition, indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and childrenRelated Cases:
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