Indonesia: Armed insurgents carry out a series of attacks in Oksibil District, Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua Province as of Jan. 11

Event

Members of the Armed Criminal Group (Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata, KKB) have reportedly carried out a series of attacks in Oksibil District, Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua Province, as of Jan. 11. Reports indicate that the group set fire to the Population and Civil Registry Service building on Kabiding Road and fired five warning shots at around 01:15 Jan. 11. Local authorities were able to extinguish the fire at around 3:15 am and are currently searching for the suspects.

Other KKB attacks also occurred in Oksibil District the morning of Jan. 9. Militants shot a civilian cargo aircraft as it was landing at Oksibil Airport (OKL) and set fire to Oksibil State Vocational School; both incidents did not result in any casualties. The motive for the attacks remains unclear.

Oksibil District, Bintang Mountains Regency, is around 260 km (160 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.