Indonesia's military denies role in Papua child death

 Indonesia’s military said Monday its troops were not involved in the fatal shooting of a child in Central Papua, as authorities investigate the incident amid ongoing unrest in the region.

“No TNI personnel were on duty in Jigiunggi Village at the time of the shooting,” Lieutenant Colonel Wirya Arthadiguna, spokesman for the Habema Joint Operations Command, said in a statement.

The military reported two separate incidents on Tuesday, April 14, with the first clash in Kembru Village confirmed to involve amed member of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Arthadiguna said troops responded to reports from residents about the presence of OPM insurgents in Kembru and moved to verify the information on the ground.

He said the rebels opened fire first, triggering a gunfight in which four insurgents were killed and their equipment seized by Indonesian forces.

From the Kembru incident, troops confiscated two improvised rifles, an air rifle, ammunition, a bow and arrows, and several bladed weapons, he added.

On the same day, authorities received a report from Jigiunggi village chief Venius Walia about a child who had died from a gunshot wound.

“TNI personnel immediately verified the report. The fatality is confirmed, but the cause of the shooting remains under investigation,” Arthadiguna said.

He stressed that preliminary findings indicate the child’s death was not caused by Indonesian military personnel.

The military pledged to conduct a transparent and professional investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Separatist violence linked to the OPM has intensified in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces in recent years, targeting civilians, infrastructure workers and security forces.

The campaign has heightened security concerns in remote areas of Papua, where clashes between armed groups and the military occur intermittently.

One of the most prominent cases involved the abduction of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens on February 7, 2023, by fighters led by Egianus Kogoya in Nduga District.

Mehrtens was held captive for more than a year before being released in September 2024.