Excerpt from the Joint Statement issued by Koalisi Organisasi Masyarakat Sipil Pro Keadilan, HAM dan Lingkungan diTanah Papua:

Since the shooting incident which took place in Nduga Regency in earlyDecember 2018, joint police and military forces have been carrying out a'military operation' with the stated aim of evacuating victims and searching forthe TPNPB (West Papua National Liberation Army), who have been accused ofcarrying out the shooting.

Nduga is not a safe place at the moment. As the joint forces carry out theiroperation, a fear of the sort of violence known from previous experiences inMapenduma, Yigi and Mbua has emerged. So far, civilians from 34 churches fromthe Mbua, Mbulmu Yalma, East Yigi, West Yigi and Mugi Classises (a Classis is anadministrative divisions of the Protestant Church) have reported being forced toleave their villages and go to take refuge in nearby forests to avoid being caughtup in brutal shootings, violence, intimidation and so on. These refugees arepushed to the limit, living in fear, and under threat of starvation because of thehigh probability they will not find sufficient food and will experience health problems.

We are worried about these refugees' safety and security. There have beenreports that three civillians have died in Mbua and Dal: one middle schoolstudent, one high school student from the Emmanuel church and another youngperson, as well as one more victim in the Mbulmu Yalma area. Nearby where thevictims were found in Mbua sub-districts, local people discovered hand-grenadesand grenades from grenade launchers made by Indonesian state-ownedarmaments firm PT Pindad, so people suppose the victims died because ofweapons used by the joint security operation.