Jayapura, Jubi – Youth leader Denius Tabuni said some residents of Yugumuak District and Mageabume District in Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, have fled to a number of villages in Sinak District in the same regency. He said the evacuees needed food, clothing, and tents.
Residents fled following a firefight between Indonesian Military (TNI) troops and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in Yugumuak District on Friday, March 3, 2023. The shooting killed one civilian and eight others reportedly injured by gunfire.
Denius Tabuni said the residents fled for safety. According to him, the escalation of the armed conflict between the TNI and TPNPB has made residents victims, they lost their lives, were injured, and lost their property.
“The community is still traumatized, and cannot return to their hometowns to farm. In camps, displaced people have difficulty getting food. The Puncak Government must provide food aid, clothes, and tents to accommodate residents who fled to Sinak,” Tabuni said in a WhatsApp message to Jubi on Monday, March 6, 2023.
In his personal record, Tabuni said, civilians had evacuated ten times. Every time they evacuate, residents cannot farm, making it difficult to find food or clean water.
“We ask the Puncak Government to immediately respond to the displaced residents as soon as we have heard that the people of Yugumuak and Mageabume are displaced. Please identify with the needs of displaced civilians,” he said.