Martial Law/ Darurat Militer in #Westpapua? Military, not civilian authority, running the island?

On 7 and 8 May 2026, military forces conducted an operation in the Kali Kabur (Kabur River) area of Tembagapura District, Mimika Regency, in the Central Papua province, resulting in injuries to at least six civilians.

One of the injured victims is a one-year-old toddler. According to local human rights defenders, the operation targeted civilian mining camps along the Kabur River and triggered the internal displacement of an estimated thousand civilians fleeing towards Kimbeli and Timika.

Nalince Wamang, 17, a student, was killed during the security force operation in Tembaggapura while an estimated thousand Indigenous People fled from the military operations in the District on 8 May.

Indonesian security forces maintain control over the area following the incident, preventing the evacuation of additional injured persons and the recovery and identification of all victims.

Report from Human Rights Monitor: At least one person killed and six indigenous Papuans injured by bullets during military operation in Tembagapura