NABIRE – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) along with the Nieuw Guinea Raad (NGR) of Intan Jaya Region urge the United Nations (UN) to immediately investigate the humanitarian crisis in Papua. This demand was delivered during a joint press conference with displaced children, coinciding with World Refugee Day. The crisis was triggered by the escalation of the armed conflict between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).
The ongoing armed conflict has caused casualties among civilians, the TPNPB, and the TNI-Polri. Based on the organization's data, at least 122,931 civilians have fled from Intan Jaya Regency and several other regions in Papua. The displaced people are reported to face threats of starvation and disease due to the lack of logistics assistance and medical services in their hiding places inside the forests.
The absence of national and international aid access is described as the primary trigger for the soaring death toll in the displacement camps, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Therefore, UNHCR as the UN Refugee Agency is requested to immediately conduct field assessments and distribute emergency aid directly to meet the basic needs of the displaced people.
"Krisis kemanusiaan di Tanah Papua sudah sangat darurat karena 122.931 warga sipil mengungsi tanpa bantuan medis dan logistik di hutan-hutan, sehingga kami mendesak UNHCR dan Dewan HAM PBB untuk segera membentuk tim pencari fakta guna melakukan investigasi menyeluruh," said Yakob Ugipa, Saturday (20/6/2026).
In addition to international demands, the KNPB requests President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw all Indonesian military personnel from the operation areas in Intan Jaya. The presence of security posts around civilian settlements is deemed necessary to be dismantled immediately because it triggers trauma and deep fear for the civilian population. This evacuation also aims to return public facilities that were temporarily repurposed back to the community.
Meanwhile, the Government of Indonesia and the UN are demanded to be fully responsible for the restoration of basic rights and the handling of hundreds of thousands of citizens affected by this civil conflict. To ensure transparency of the situation on the ground, Jakarta is also urged to open wide access for international journalists to the Papua region.
The KNPB strongly condemns the Indonesian military operations involving aerial bombings in the civilian residential areas of Intan Jaya Regency. The airstrike on May 17, 2026, in the yard of the Saint Paul Nabuni Mbamogo Catholic Church was reported to have resulted in four civilians becoming victims. The deceased victim was identified as Liter Nabelau, while Pit Pogau, Robert Nabelau, and Pius Pogau suffered severe injuries.
The escalation of attacks was reported to have occurred again on June 18, 2026, in Danggoa Village, Agisiga District, which left two civilians named Otopina Hogajau and Agodu Pogau in critical condition. The NGR emphasizes that attacks on religious facilities and domestic areas of citizens constitute gross human rights violations that require serious attention from the UN Security Council.
As a long-term conflict resolution step that has lasted for more than 64 years, the KNPB asks the Indonesian Government to provide the right to self-determination for the Papuan people through an official referendum mechanism. (One Papua)