HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
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Explosive Conflict Continues and Escalates in Nduga Regency
Major military and police operations have been launched by Indonesia in the Nduga Regency of West Papua in the wake of the killing of at last 17 construction workers and engineers on December 2, 2018.
- Since December 4, 2018, the Indonesian military have precipitated a humanitarian crisis in West Papua. Over the past month, thousands of indigenous West Papuans have been displaced,
- According to local reports a mother and child have died, and three other children have died due to starvation,
- The Indonesian military is suspected to have used the chemical weapon, white phosphorus, against West Papuan civilians. Chemical weapons are banned under international law,
- Reports that at least four villages have been attacked, from the air, from artillery, and from ground troops,
- The Indonesian army has sealed off the area. Church and local government officials cannot access the area to investigate or help those displaced.
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West Papuan representative groups are calling the situation a ‘humanitarian crisis’. According to the International Coalition for Papua, at least 20 civilians have been killed in the operations so far. Ground troops have been sent into local villages with air support strafing civilian areas.
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According to the witness reports gathered by the ULMWP, church and school activities in all 32 districts of the Nduga Regency have been completely shut down.
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The ULMWP can confirm the following to have occurred during the Indonesian military operation in Nduga:
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- Six people shot dead by the Indonesian military,
- Three people in critical condition from gunshot wounds,
- Two people badly burned from bombs and grenades,
- Five people missing, and
- Four people detained and tortured.
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Thousands of people are displaced and hiding in the surrounding jungle. The ULMWP has called for an immediate cessation of Indonesian military and police operations and for the Indonesian government to lift the tight restrictions and allow humanitarian agencies and human rights monitors to enter the region.
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Click here to read ULMWP Chairman, Benny Wenda's statement on chemical weapons and the Nduga Crisis.
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