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By Open Chronicle News Desk | January 20, 2026
TIMIKA, Indonesia – Bishop Bernardus Baru of Timika has issued a scathing critique of the Indonesian government’s “security-first” approach in Papua, warning that the massive deployment of troops is traumatizing indigenous communities and fueling a humanitarian crisis.
The bishop’s remarks follow reports from the Papuan Church Council and human rights monitors indicating that security operations in the highlands have displaced over 100,000 people. Many of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) spent the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year period in makeshift forest camps rather than their homes, fearing clashes between the Indonesian military (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).
Military Deployment and Environmental Threats
Bishop Baru emphasized that the military presence is often linked to controversial economic projects, specifically the government’s plan to expand palm oil plantations. “Stop clearing forests,” the bishop warned in a statement. “The world is becoming increasingly greedy. If the government persists with its plan, it won’t be long before the end of the world.”
Church leaders argue that the deployment of non-organic troops—units brought in from outside Papua—has created an atmosphere of fear. In some districts, soldiers have reportedly occupied public facilities and churches to set up security posts, a move the diocese of Jayapura described as “unfavorable” to regional stability.
Calls for Dialogue Amid Escalating Conflict
The critique comes at a time of high tension. Just last week, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka was forced to postpone a working visit to Yahukimo District due to security recommendations from regional commanders. While the administration frames its presence as necessary for “accelerating development,” the Papuan Peace Network and local bishops argue that only direct dialogue with pro-independence groups can resolve the decades-long conflict.
“Papua is not a military emergency area,” the clergy noted, urging President Prabowo Subianto to pivot from a military strategy to a “peaceful resolution” that respects indigenous land rights and human dignity.