Indonesia: Armed attack kills two people in Oksebang District, Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua Province, Dec. 5

Event

Members of the Armed Criminal Group (Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata, KKB) staged an attack that killed at least two people in Mangabib Village, Oksebang District, Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua Province Dec. 5. Reports indicate that the assailants used machetes to slash the victims, who were motorcycle taxi drivers waiting for passengers in the village. Three drivers escaped the attack but one person remains missing. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The incident site is around 230 km (142 miles) south of Jayapura.

Context

The KKB has been designated a terrorist organization by the Indonesian government. KKB attacks resulting in civilian deaths are relatively rare, as the organization typically targets Indonesian soldiers and police officers, as well as workers and infrastructure of state-owned public facilities and foreign-owned resource extraction companies, specifically PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI). The incident highlights the threat posed by armed groups in the region and points to the continued tension between Indonesian authorities and people in Papua, who claim that the Indonesian central government racially discriminates against Papuans and that it does not sufficiently develop the provinces' infrastructure. The KKB previously attacked and set fire to a mining camp in Kawe Village, Awimbon District, Pegunungan Bintang Regency, Nov. 5, which killed one person. Separately, the KKB also opened fire at construction workers building a community health center in Julukoma Village, Beoga District, Puncak Regency, Nov. 8, killing at least one person.