Papua Post

  YAHUKIMO, PAPUA HIGHLANDS — Law enforcement authorities, through the Damai Cartenz-2026 Operation Task Force and Yahukimo Police, are continuing to investigate the stabbing of LM, a 32-year-old contract worker in the radiology department of Dekai Regional General Hospital. Security authorities are working to identify and apprehend the two suspected attackers while investigating possible links to the Kodap XVI Yahukimo armed group led by Kopi Tua Heluka. Indonesian authorities refer to such groups as Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata (KKB), or armed criminal groups. The incident occurred on Friday, October 23, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time, behind a kiosk near the teachers' residential complex of SMA Negeri 1 Dekai. The victim sustained two stab wounds and was taken to hospital for medical treatment. Following the report, officers examined the scene, collected witness statements, secured physical evidence, and expanded their investigation to identify and pursue the susp...

  NDUGA, PAPUA HIGHLANDS – Indonesian military personnel were involved in an armed clash with a group suspected of belonging to the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) near Nonggoloit Village, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua Highlands, on Friday, October 23, 2026. Two individuals suspected of being members of the armed group were reportedly killed. The troops also seized several items of evidence, including IDR 88 million in cash and various weapons. The incident occurred while personnel from Task Force Rajawali VI, Detachment 1, under the Habema Military Operations Command, were conducting a territorial patrol. According to Brigadier General Riyanto, Commander of the Habema Military Operations Command, the patrol followed information about the suspected presence of an armed group near a residential area. Gunfire Erupts During Security Patrol Brigadier General Riyanto explained that, according to the report received by the military, members of the group allegedly fired at the personn...

JAYAPURA, PAPUA — A joint team from the Damai Cartenz Operation Task Force (Satgas ODC) and the Papua Regional Police (Polda Papua) has arrested two individuals suspected of involvement in a firearms and ammunition distribution network allegedly supplying an armed criminal group (KKB). The arrests took place in the Perumnas III residential area of Waena, Heram District, Jayapura City, on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Head of Public Relations for the Damai Cartenz Operation Task Force, Police Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo, said the arrests of RS, 37, and SW, 33, were part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged circulation of firearms and ammunition. Both individuals were taken to Papua Regional Police headquarters for further questioning. Investigation Leads to Two More Individuals According to Yusuf, the arrests are connected to a police report dated March 13, 2026. Previously, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the joint team arrested an individual identified by the initials H, also known ...

  YAHUKIMO, PAPUA HIGHLANDS — The security situation in Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, has drawn attention after the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), through its Yahukimo Regional Defense Command XVI (Kodap XVI), claimed responsibility for a series of attacks reportedly beginning on October 12, 2026. However, the group’s claims differ from statements by the Damai Cartenz-2026 Task Force, which said that victims in two separate incidents in Dekai were civilians, rather than security personnel as alleged by TPNPB. These conflicting accounts highlight the importance of further investigation and verification to establish the facts. TPNPB Claims Responsibility for a Series of Attacks In a report published by Fajar Papua on October 14, 2026, TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom said Kodap XVI Yahukimo was responsible for attacks targeting four people whom the group accused of being security personnel and Indonesian military intelligence agents. According to the group’s statement, the i...

  MAYBRAT, SOUTHWEST PAPUA — The Indonesian Military (TNI) has arrested Zakarias Fatem, identified as the deputy commander of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) Kodap IV/Sorong Raya, in Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua. Following his arrest, Zakarias reportedly declared his return to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and called on other OPM members and sympathizers to surrender. The information was disclosed by Lieutenant Colonel (Marines) Laili Nugroho, commander of the Marine Infantry Battalion Task Force 9, as reported by detikNews on Friday, October 16, 2026. According to the report, Zakarias also urged OPM members and sympathizers to lay down their weapons and return to Indonesia. <Cite refs={["turn503708view0"]}/> Arrest in Aifat Timur Followed by Call to Return to Indonesia Zakarias Fatem was arrested in Aifat Timur District, Maybrat Regency, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Following his arrest, he reportedly called on OPM members and sympathi...

  MAYBRAT, SOUTHWEST PAPUA — Three people suspected of belonging to the armed group known as the Free Papua Organization (OPM), including a man identified by Indonesian military authorities as the group's operations commander, were reportedly killed in an exchange of gunfire with joint Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel in Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua, on Friday, October 9, 2026. The operation took place in a forested area north of Kamat Village, East Aifat District, during a joint patrol operation. Brigadier General Riyanto, Commander of the TNI Habema Operations Command, said preliminary identification indicated that one of those killed was Manfret Fatem, described by the military as the Operations Commander of OPM Kodap IV/Sorong Raya. The identities of the other two individuals were still being verified, according to the official information reported by ANTARA. Exchange of Fire Occurred During Joint Patrol According to the TNI Habema Operations Command, the e...