Indonesia: Armed assailants shot and injured one person in Ilaga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province Aug. 23

Event

Armed assailants shot and injured one civilian in Ilaga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, Aug. 23. Reports indicate that the attackers targeted a shopkeeper at Ilaga Traditional Market Complex, shooting him in the head at approximately 18:40. The perpetrators also set fire to government-owned rice warehouses in the area. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

Ilaga is approximately 50 km (31 miles) northeast of Timika.

Context

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities have attributed the incident to an "armed criminal group” (Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata, KKB), a term typically used to refer to the separatist Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM). The OPM has been engaging in a low-level insurgency for Papuan independence since the 1960s; the Indonesian government has designated the KKB as a terrorist organization. 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.