IndonesiaKey figures
Who is fighting
Indonesia
- Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) incl. Kostrad, Kopassus and air force
- Indonesian National Police incl. Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and Operation Cartenz Peace task force
- Barisan Merah Putih militia (pro-Indonesia)
- None
West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) / Free Papua Movement (OPM)
- TPNPB regional commands (Kodap) in Yahukimo, Intan Jaya, Puncak, Nduga, Pegunungan Bintang, Maybrat
- United Liberation Movement for West Papua (political)
- None (some volunteers from Papua New Guinea reported)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
Papuan nationalists declared independence on 1 December 1961; Indonesia took control after the 1962 New York Agreement and a disputed 1969 'Act of Free Choice'. The Free Papua Movement (OPM) has waged a low-level guerrilla war since the 1960s, met with military operations that rights groups say killed tens of thousands of Papuans over the decades.
The conflict entered a new phase after TPNPB fighters killed at least 16 road-construction workers at Nduga in December 2018. Indonesia designated the TPNPB a terrorist organisation in 2021 and expanded troop deployments and outposts; the TPNPB adopted a strategy of attacking migrant workers, teachers, miners and anyone it accuses of being a spy, and in 2023 took New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens hostage for 19 months. The 2022 split of Papua into six provinces and President Prabowo's 2025 plan for up to 500 new territorial battalions nationwide, many in Papua, have intensified militarisation; 23 new outposts were built in Intan Jaya alone in 2025.
In 2025 Human Rights Monitor recorded 141 armed clashes in 16 regencies, concentrated in Yahukimo and Intan Jaya, with 140 deaths and more than 105,000 people internally displaced by January 2026. In April 2026 a TNI operation in Puncak's Kembru district, with aerial attacks, killed at least 12–15 people; the TPNPB then killed seven civilians it called spies near the Yahukimo–Pegunungan Bintang border. In July TPNPB fighters shot dead an American pilot at Yahukimo, in August they killed five construction workers in Tolikara, and in late September the army reported killing four fighters in Intan Jaya. The central government acknowledged about 122,000 conflict-displaced people in July 2026, and the regional council's special committee reported 59 deaths for the year on 19 October 2026. Access for journalists and the UN remains restricted.
Recent developments
- 19 October 2026Regional council (DPD) special committee reports 59 people killed in 2026 (43 civilians, 8 security personnel, 8 armed-group members), about 50 injured and around 124,000 still displaced. source ↗
- 1 October 2026Christian Solidarity International raises the 127,000 displacement figure at the UN Human Rights Council. source ↗
- 26 September 2026Military says four TPNPB-OPM members were killed in a gunfight with troops in Intan Jaya, Central Papua. source ↗
- 25 August 2026Human Rights Monitor counts more than 127,031 civilians internally displaced across West Papua; the central government's first public estimate (July) was about 122,000. source ↗
- 5 August 2026TPNPB confirms killing five construction workers in Tolikara, alleging they were intelligence agents; Indonesian forces launch a manhunt and villagers flee into the forest. source ↗
- 10 July 2026Indonesia recovers the body of an American pilot shot dead by TPNPB fighters at Yahukimo. source ↗
- 14 April 2026ACLED: TNI operations in Puncak's Kembru district kill at least 15 (Komnas HAM says 12), the first civilian deaths inside the refugee sanctuary; April's 27 air strikes are a record. source ↗
Timeline
- 2 August 1969'Act of Free Choice' confirms Indonesian control; OPM guerrilla resistance continues from the 1960s.
- 2 December 2018TPNPB kills at least 16 road workers at Nduga; large military operations and mass displacement follow.
- 29 April 2021Indonesia designates the TPNPB-OPM a terrorist organisation after the killing of the Papua intelligence chief.
- 7 February 2023TPNPB takes New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens hostage in Nduga; released September 2024.
- 8 April 2025TPNPB attack on migrant gold miners in Yahukimo allegedly kills 15; TNI operations with aerial bombardment in Intan Jaya.
- 15 August 2025Government announces plans for up to 500 new battalions; 2025 ends with a record 141 armed clashes.
- 25 November 2025Military drone strike on a home in Dekai, Yahukimo, kills a 17-year-old student.
- 13 April 2026TNI–TPNPB fighting in Pogoma and Kembru, Puncak: at least 12–15 killed inside a designated refugee sanctuary; 27 air strikes recorded in April.
- 20 April 2026TPNPB unit kills seven civilians near the Yahukimo–Pegunungan Bintang border, calling them spies.
- 10 July 2026TPNPB fighters shoot dead an American pilot after he lands at Yahukimo; the body is recovered by the military.
- 5 August 2026TPNPB kills five Indonesian construction workers at a camp in Tolikara; operations displace hundreds.
- 19 October 2026DPD special committee reports 59 killed and about 124,000 displaced in 2026.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 199 | – | Low: documented deaths in 2025 (140, Human Rights Monitor) plus 2026 to date (59, DPD/Komnas HAM) only. High: scholarly estimates of 100,000–300,000 Papuan civilian deaths since 1962 (Crocombe 2007); Papuan groups claim higher. No reliable cumulative count exists for the post-2018 phase. Activist estimates of 100,000–500,000 deaths since the 1960s cover the whole history of the conflict and are not comparable with this documented count for the current phase. humanrightsmonitor.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | 46 | 46 | Indonesian security personnel killed: 38 in 2025 (HRM) and 8 in 2026 to October (DPD). Official tallies cite 39 soldiers and 17 police killed 2023–2025; Operation Cartenz reports 272 TPNPB fighters killed 2021–2025. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 116 | 116 | 73 civilians killed in 2025 (31 by security forces, 42 by TPNPB; HRM, 'conservative') and 43 in 2026 to October (DPD/Komnas HAM). humanrightsmonitor.org ↗ |
| Wounded | 148 | 148 | 2025: 48 civilians, 34 security personnel, 16 TPNPB (HRM); 2026: about 50 (DPD). humanrightsmonitor.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 59 | 100 | 59 killed in 2026 to 19 Oct (DPD/Komnas HAM: 43 civilians, 8 security, 8 armed-group members) plus an unquantified share of 2025's 140 deaths falling in Oct–Dec 2025 (incl. the 25 Nov 2025 Dekai drone strike). humanrightsmonitor.org ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 122,000 | 127,031 | Central government preliminary estimate about 122,000 (July 2026); DPD committee about 124,000 (Oct 2026); Human Rights Monitor 127,031 (late Aug 2026), up from 105,878 on 1 Jan 2026 and about 85,000 in 2024. The Papuan Council of Churches counts 107,000. humanrightsmonitor.org ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Several thousand Papuans have long lived as refugees in Papua New Guinea (13,500 as of 2010); no current figure. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Human Rights Monitor documented 140 conflict deaths in 2025 (73 civilians, 38 security personnel, 29 TPNPB fighters) in 141 armed clashes; Indonesia's regional council (DPD) special committee and Komnas HAM count 59 killed in 2026 to mid-October (43 civilians, 8 security personnel, 8 armed-group members). ACLED recorded 27 Indonesian air strikes in April 2026, the most in any month on record..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the West Papua insurgency (Indonesia vs TPNPB-OPM)?
Indonesia (Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) incl. Kostrad, Kopassus and air force, Indonesian National Police incl. Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and Operation Cartenz Peace task force, Barisan Merah Putih militia (pro-Indonesia)), supported by None; against West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) / Free Papua Movement (OPM) (TPNPB regional commands (Kodap) in Yahukimo, Intan Jaya, Puncak, Nduga, Pegunungan Bintang, Maybrat, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (political)), supported by None (some volunteers from Papua New Guinea reported).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 199+ killed as of 19 October 2026. Low: documented deaths in 2025 (140, Human Rights Monitor) plus 2026 to date (59, DPD/Komnas HAM) only. High: scholarly estimates of 100,000–300,000 Papuan civilian deaths since 1962 (Crocombe 2007); Papuan groups claim higher. No reliable cumulative count exists for the post-2018 phase. Activist estimates of 100,000–500,000 deaths since the 1960s cover the whole history of the conflict and are not comparable with this documented count for the current phase. Civilian deaths are put at 116. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the West Papua insurgency (Indonesia vs TPNPB-OPM) still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, fights Indonesian forces in the highlands of Central Papua and Highland Papua provinces for independence of the former Dutch New Guinea, annexed by Indonesia in 1963–1969. Since the 2018 Nduga massacre of road workers the conflict has escalated steadily: 2025 was a record year for clashes, and 2026 has brought Indonesia's heaviest air campaign (including the April Puncak operation that killed at least 12–15 people in a designated refugee sanctuary), TPNPB killings of workers and a US pilot, and displacement that the government itself now puts at about 122,000–124,000 people.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 2 December 2018, but the underlying conflict dates back to 1962 — 7 years, 10 months ago.
Sources
- Human Rights Monitor — Annual Report 2025: Human Rights and Conflict in West Papua humanrightsmonitor.org
- Human Rights Monitor — DPD committee reports 124,000 displaced and 59 killed in 2026 humanrightsmonitor.org
- Human Rights Monitor — IDP update August 2026 humanrightsmonitor.org
- ACLED Asia-Pacific Overview May 2026 acleddata.com
- Wikipedia — Papua conflict en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — West Papua National Liberation Army en.wikipedia.org
More conflicts
Papua New Guinea — Highlands tribal violenceThis page summarises publicly available reporting and does not take sides. Casualty and force figures are estimates compiled on 19 October 2026; see each figure's source for its method and date. Page generated 2026-10-19. How this tracker works.