Interim President: Indonesia kills teenager in new wave of militarisation
October 28, 2026
A new wave of Indonesian militarisation has already claimed its first victims in West Papua.
On October 23rd, two Indigenous Papuan civilians were killed by Indonesian drone attacks in Nduga. Mr Helkia Kerebia was only sixteen years old – yet another child murdered by the coloniser. Their hands are soaked in Papuan blood. The ULMWP mourns his death and that of Mr Masut Serera, 25 years old, and also calls for the immediate release of the six other civilians arbitrarily arrested during the operation.
Drone attack in Nduga
Three days later, the military established a large presence in the Topiyai District in Paniai Regency. Military checkpoints have been established in the region, and drones are circling the villages every day. The ULMWP is concerned that Paniai, like Nduga, Intan Jaya, and Yahukimo, will soon become yet another war zone. No corner of our land is left untouched by Indonesian destruction.
West Papua is already the most militarised zone in the Asia-Pacific region, with over 100,000 security forces based there – one for every twenty Papuans. But even with 127,000 Papuan civilians displaced by military operations, and with more than seventy civilians killed by the army so far this year, Indonesia still bars NGOs, foreign journalists, and even the UN Human Rights High Commissioner from entering West Papua.
World leaders must ask themselves: what is Indonesia hiding in West Papua? Why is Indonesia permitted to hold the Presidency of the UN Human Rights Council while violating the will of a clear majority of UN members?
The ULMWP also reminds Pacific leaders of their moral duty to their West Papuan family not to be seduced by Indonesia’s chequebook diplomacy, not to sell us out for scholarships or medical aid while Papuan refugees die of hunger in the bush.
On behalf of the ULMWP and West Papuan people, I call for increased pressure to force Indonesia to open West Papua to the eyes of the world. Indonesia must face serious diplomatic consequences until the UN High Commissioner is finally allowed access.
Benny Wenda
Interim President
ULMWP
