Jayapura, Jubi — Dozens of students from the Somatua Intan Jaya Independent Student Community (KOMISI) have held a public rally in Jayapura to mark the first anniversary of the Soanggama killings, under the theme “Soanggama’s Wounds, Papua’s Wounds”.
The rally was held at the Waena Expo grounds in Jayapura, Central Papua, on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
Students read poems commemorating the deaths of civilians in Soanggama, Intan Jaya and across Papua. They also displayed posters and photographs of civilians killed in Intan Jaya.
The incident, known as the Soanggama killings, occurred on 15 October 2025 during a military sweep by the Habema Operations Command under the Joint Regional Defence Command III in Soanggama village, Hitadipa district, Intan Jaya regency, Central Papua.
Reports at the time said 12 civilians and five members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) were killed.
Serkios Sani, the rally’s field coordinator, accused Indonesian military personnel of carrying out indiscriminate operations in the village.
“Within a short time, more than a dozen lives were lost. After the killings, military personnel buried the victims’ bodies in an inhumane manner in a single grave in the grounds of the Laodekia Indonesian Gospel Tabernacle Church,” Sani said.
He alleged that, in the period following the incident, military personnel forced residents to gather under threat of firearms, prompting frightened villagers to flee and leaving many injured.
“The military accused a civilian and then shot him dead,” he said.
Sani named several civilians reportedly killed in the incident: Agopabega Kobogau, 18; Umbinus Tabuni, 48; Pisen Kogoya, 35; Winina Lawiya, 30; Agus Kogoya, 40; and Sepi Lawiya, 20.
The five TPNPB members reported killed were identified as Ipe Kogoya, Kasus Kogoya, Poli Kogoya, Meki Murib and Roni Lawiya.
“One year has now passed since this indiscriminate military operation, in which more than a dozen people from Intan Jaya lost their lives. The state, particularly the Indonesian military, must be held accountable,” Sani said.
Students call for investigation and accountability
Feri Japugau, who coordinated the rally, said Intan Jaya had experienced escalating armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and the TPNPB over the past seven years.
He said the conflict, which has continued from 2019 to 2026, had significantly affected civilian life.
Japugau argued that the conflict was not isolated from wider disputes over natural resources, adding that security operations had affected social, political, economic and healthcare conditions in the region.
“Armed clashes, security operations and retaliatory attacks have created a cycle of violence that is difficult to stop. The continuing conflict has left the security situation unstable over the long term,” he said.
He also criticised the growing military presence in civilian areas, including residential communities.
Villages, public roads, churches, gardens, schools and other public facilities had increasingly become part of conflict zones, he said, leaving residents feeling unsafe in their daily lives.
KOMISI issued a series of demands following the rally.
The group called on the Indonesian military to take responsibility for the reported deaths of 12 civilians in Soanggama and urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to investigate the incident and other alleged abuses in Intan Jaya.
It also called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the minister responsible for natural resources, the governor of Central Papua and the Intan Jaya regent to revoke the special mining business permit held by state-owned mining company PT ANTAM Tbk for Block B of the Wabu area.
The students further urged Indonesian Military Commander General Agus Subiyanto to review military personnel’s conduct and ensure their duties complied with Article 30(3) of the 1945 Constitution, which sets out the military’s role in defending and protecting the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
They also called on the Intan Jaya regency government, the Intan Jaya Regency Council, the Central Papua Regional Council and the Central Papua People’s Assembly to facilitate an investigation by the Papua representative office of Komnas HAM into the Soanggama incident and other shootings involving civilians.
The group demanded that those responsible for the reported shootings of civilians in Soanggama be thoroughly investigated and brought to justice in accordance with Indonesian law. (*)
