Neither incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, nor his main electoral rival Prabowo Subianto have addressed the surge in violence in the provinces collectively known by pro-independence campaigners as West Papua.
During presidential debates in which the pair have sparred on human rights and national security, the issue has not warranted a single mention. But on the western side of New Guinea island, in Indonesia’s far east, a decades old insurgency has flared with violence.
Last December, militants from the Papuan Liberation Army admitted to attacking and killing up to 31 people working on the Trans-Papua Road Project, a highway that will bisect the resource-rich province.
Measuring the architectural loss of Notre Dame fire
Joko had touted the project as a key part of his presidency’s focus infrastructure, a 4,300-kilometer-long investment open up access to vast gold and copper deposits and highland villages.
Hundreds of troops moved in to the already militarized Nduga region to try to capture rebels. The counter insurgency measures resulted in 32,000 displaced residents, according to the highest estimates made by rights group Frontline Defenders — who plan to submit their findings to Indonesia’s Human Rights Council.
The Indonesian army has disputed the claim, saying that reports of destruction to villages are a “hoax.”
Source: Violence-wracked Indonesian province calls for independence
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