The conflict between security forces and armed groups is the reason the villagers in Tembagapura district, Papua, have been displaced.
By
SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS
·6 minutes read
Kompas/Saiful Rijal Yunus
Village children from Tembagapura dictrict in Timika, Papua, are seen at a local shelter on Wednesday (22/11). The children left their village with their parents, and are among the thousands who fled to the shelter to seek safety from the ongoing armed conflict.
Olina is fanning her youngest child, Ekisol, with her hand. The 15-month-old baby is sleeping naked on a sheet of plastic on the ground. “(It’s) Hot. We’re not used to it. Up (in Kimbely village) it is cold,” she said, reminiscing about the village she was forced to leave.
The mother of three is a resident of Kimbely village, Tembagapura district, Mimika regency, Papua. Along with thousands of people from the villages of Bantu, Kimbely, Utkini and Opitawak, Olina left for Timika, the capital of Mimika regency, to flee from the ongoing armed conflict.
That Wednesday was her third day at the Eme Neme Yauwere shelter in the heart of Mimika city. Like other mothers and their children, she has to adapt to the new environment. “In Kimbely it is cold. It’s not the same here,” said Olina. She chose to sleep near the air conditioner.
Her seven-year old twins, Jeki and Deri, run around her. The pair have not gone to school for some time because of the prolonged conflict.
Olina and her family in Kimbely live off a small plantation and farm. However, their daily needs are covered by her husband who works as a gold-panner, earning a weekly income of 1 gram of gold, or around Rp 500,000. The money is spent on daily needs.
Kimbely village is in Tembagapura district, around 3 kilometers from the safe zone at the PT Freeport Indonesia mining office, located on Mile 68. The village is located between hills that are between 300-400 meters tall. Because of this, Kimbely is a vulnerable zone and residents were forced to seek refuge.
“We don’t know anything. Up in the village, the rice is running out, so we came here,” said Olina. At the front, a community leader was speaking and asked for a new location to be provided for the displaced people.
As many as 804 residents of Banti, Kimbely, Opitawak and Utkini villages are still at the displaced persons shelter after leaving their village on Monday. A few days earlier, on Friday, 384 people had sought shelter.
As of Thursday night, aid has continued to flow to the shelters in the form of mattresses and blankets from the Social Affairs Ministry, food from donors and clothing from the Indonesian Red Cross. However, the problem does not end there. The displaced persons are concerned about their future.
Never-ending
The conflict between security forces and armed groups is the reason the villagers have been displaced. The worrying situation is compounded by the fact that the food stock is running out and health and education services have stopped operating since October.
Meanwhile, around 4,900 of the villagers that do not want to leave their homes and farms have chosen to stay in their village. Most are from the Amungme, Dani and Moni tribes.
Armed conflict is not a new thing for the people of Tembagapura district, Papua. Acts of terror, shootings, murders and exchanges of fire between armed groups and security forces are a frequent occurrence. Bloodshed is nothing new in this area.
Since the inclusion of West Irian, now Papua, into Indonesia and the start of Freeport gold mine exploration in the 1960s, conflict has been a mainstay. Some do not want Mount Ertsberg to be touched because according to the beliefs of the Amungme tribe, the tribe that owns the ulayat (indigenous land), on which the concession is located, is the place where their souls return after their death.
The conflict has continued to this day. Shootings carried out by Free Papua Movement\'s (OPM) National Liberation Army (TPN) aim at stopping exploitation in Papua. They want Papua to be independent and manage their own region.
Since early October to mid-November alone there have been around 12 shootings and exchanges of gunfire.
From these incidents, 12 people have been injured and two have died. In mid-October, there had been an escalation in shootings, resulting in education and health services to be stop operations. People from a number of villages then chose to flee to Kimbely. However, by that time the village was under the control of the armed group.
For three weeks, the people stayed in their village in deteriorating conditions, with food supplies running out.
They were isolated and unable to leave the village to look for food or work, as they were afraid that they might be caught in the crossfire.
The incidents have left the residents restless. With the conflict now escalating, the people of Kimbely village are no longer comfortable staying in their homes.
“There is constant conflict. We are anxious all the time,” said Mendinus Mahai, a village resident.
New place
In such conditions, the daily lives of the people cannot go on as normal. Therefore, Mendinus hopes the government would help the people by providing a new place for them that is safe and closer to the city.
Temabagapura tribal chief Kamaniel Waker said the people know nothing about what is really happening. However, because they are left with no choice, they leave their homes and go to the city. “Up there (in the village), it is a good place to live,” said Kamaniel.
“However, because of the danger the children cannot go to school. When there is a problem we run, the government also runs. The problems never ends because the government does not give us any attention. Their attention always goes to the city,” he said.
For example, Kamaniel said when there are incidents in the village, whether it is fire, landslide or conflict, the government does not move quickly to address them. The people are left to resolve the problem themselves.
Therefore, after discussing with the people, including with those from the villages and other tribes, Kamaniel hopes that the government can help by building housing in a new location for them. His tribe has an ulayat (indigenous land) at Mile 32, which is closer to the city and relatively safer.
By moving to a new place, he hopes that the children can continue their education and people can live in safer conditions.
“However, we will not leave our village. That is our land, the place of our ancestors. We, the men, will work there again. We want our children to go to school in peace. We are ignorant and getting old, but our children must not be (ignorant too),” Kamaniel said.
A youth leader of another tribe, Mendinus Mahai, 32, said a temporary location is needed for the people to stay in, especially given that it is difficult for old people and children to return to their village.
“My children and wife are still in the village (Kimbely), my family is also in Banti. I have to go back because that is our land of inheritance,” he said.
The conflict in Papua has not ended. The victims are civilians who know nothing about the conflict. They have to leave their homes and are worried about their uncertain future. However, they do not want to lose hope and instead prioritize the education of their children.
