Jayapura, Jubi – The attack on civilians in Nogolait Village, Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, on Saturday, July 16, 2022, involved a former military officer who had joined the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), said Papua Police director of the General Criminal Investigation Sr. Comr. Faizal Ramadhani on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
Faizal said the attack was led by Egianus Kogoya and Yotam Bugiangge. Egianus Kogoya is the leader of the TPNPB that killed PT Istaka Karya workers in Nduga on December 2, 2018. Meanwhile, Yotam Bugiangge is an ex-member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) who joined Kogoya’s group in December 2021.
According to Faizal, Yotam Bugiangge was a TNI member who had been fired for deserting and carrying away an SS-2 V1 weapon. “When he ran away he was a second private,” said Faizal.
Faizal said the joint security forces had conducted an investigation on the crime scene and asked for information from a number of witnesses. “From that result, we have estimated the number [of TPNPB combatants],” he said.
He said Kogoya’s group had been carrying out sporadic attacks against security forces in Nduga for the past three days and disrupted the process of evacuating bodies found in Nogolait Village.
On Saturday, the TPNPB led by Egianus Kogoya attacked civilians in Nogolait Village, resulting in 11 civilians dead and two others injured. The dead victims were Yulius Watu, Hubertus Goti, Daeng Marannu, Taufan Amir, Johan, Alex, Yuda Nurusingga, Nasjen, Mahmut Ismain, Roy Manampiring, and Eliaser Baner. Meanwhile, the two injured victims were Sudirman and Hasdin.
TPNPB has also made a written statement in which Egianus Kogoya admitted to carrying out the attack in Nogoloit Village. Kogoya said his party attacked after finding out that a resident had taken a video of his people raising the Morning Star flag and accused him of spying on them. (*)
