Jayapura, Jubi – Residents of Mulima village in Libarek district, Jayawijaya regency, Papua Highlands, have condemned suspected arson after a forest fire spread rapidly across three villages.
Residents were alarmed on Wednesday afternoon, 21 October 2026, when thick smoke appeared simultaneously in Mulima, Punalul and Kumima villages.
Kornelis Wilil, a local customary leader, said the fire had caused significant losses for Indigenous communities and threatened the forest resources needed by future generations.
“We are suffering terribly. We have forest and timber that sustain our lives, as well as various plants that are essential for the future of our descendants, for generations to come – even for centuries,” Wilil said in a written statement on Friday, 23 October 2026.
He said more than 5,000 hectares of the forest had reportedly been destroyed by the fire, stretching from the Toduma boundary to Herewihak and from the Toduman boundary to an area near the Elokhoraima river.
“The forest has been completely burned, including various species of trees and other plants,” he said.
Wilil said the fire had caused losses for the extended Wilil-Himan clan and other local residents. He warned that reforestation and forest recovery could take years.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and no suspects have been identified. Residents in the affected areas are focusing on containing the blaze, he said.
Wilil said forest fires were not caused by climate change alone, but also result from human activity.
He added that residents would not allow timber killed by the fire to be collected indiscriminately and planned to pursue the matter through government authorities and the legal system.
“We will follow up through the relevant government authorities, report the incident in accordance with the law and continue to monitor the process,” he said.
Residents have called for anyone found responsible to face legal proceedings. They said they would not seek compensation in the form of money or pigs, but wanted the alleged offender to be held accountable under the law.
If the person responsible cannot be identified, the community will consider acting under applicable customary law.
Residents of Mulima, Punakul and Kumima have also been urged to maintain public order and refrain from indiscriminate burning of gardens or other property. (*)
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