On the IDWIP 2026

STATEMENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 2026

As we commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we honor the Indigenous Peoples who remain at the forefront of defending their communities, culture, and lands around the world.

For the Indigenous Peoples of West Papua, the struggle for their rights continues under the worsening conditions brought by the imperialist-backed Indonesian Government in their ancestral lands, which are infested by military operations alongside projects guised as development.

In this day, we not only remember the strength and bravery of West Papuans and the Indigenous Peoples of the world, but we also remember the atrocities caused by imperialism.

Human rights groups have reported that more than two million hectares in West Papua have been opened for private companies, raising concerns over displacement, deforestation, and the deployment of additional military battalions around the project.

Papuans remain in resistance against these repressive policies. On January 25, Papuans protesting the Merauke food estate were forcibly dispersed by the Indonesian police.

In July, Papuan students and organizations took to the streets calling for an end to National Strategic Projects and the withdrawal of military forces from Papua.

While the armed struggle in the highlands exposes displacement and food insecurity in areas that remain heavily restricted.

The Indonesian government continues to conceal the inhumaties that Papuan communities face by closing off its doors for international journalists and human rights groups.

The Indonesian government still treats the expressions of Papuan political identity as threats to national security.

Their expression of their cultures have been repeatedly met with arrests and treason charges.

The repression of West Papuans encompasses their identity, right to public assembly, and journalism.

The denial of these spaces itself is part of the denial of self-determination.

What happens in West Papua can not be separated from the wider system of imperialism that places economic interest, military power, and profit over the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Indonesian government’s expansion of its military role has taken place alongside a broader strengthening of its relationship with the US government.

In April 2026, Washington and Jakarta elevated their defense relationship into a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, expanding cooperation in defense modernization, military training, and joint exercises. The US government itself stated that the two militaries have conducted more than 170 engagements each year.

This growing partnership must be viewed in the context of the United States’ expanding military presence across the Indo-Pacific as it competes for strategic influence, bases, and access across the region while strengthening its alliances.

The United States arms the Indonesian government, just as it arms fascist governments that repress Indigenous communities in other countries. Its military power and political influence strengthen the same systems of racism, militarization, and repression that Indigenous Peoples across the globe continue to resist. The United States is a sickness that spreads wherever imperialism seeks to protect its interests.

This is the contradiction at the heart of imperialism. Military bases and military cooperation are presented as security. The extraction of resources and minerals are presented as development.

Yet, for the people who are living on the receiving end of these false policies, the result is often greater control over their communities. The West Papuan struggle forms part of a broader resistance of Indigenous Peoples confronting occupation and repression.

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Merdeka stands in solidarity with the West Papuan people in their ongoing struggle for self-determination. We call for an end to the repression of Papuan communities and their advocates.

The defense of their ancestral land is inseparable from their right to determine their own future. The conflict can not simply be ended without addressing its political roots. So long as Indonesia maintains its occupation of West Papua, suppresses political expression, and imposes control over Indigenous communities, resistance will continue.

From West Papua to the Indigenous Peoples of the world, Papua, Merdeka!#