As civilian displacement in Papua continues to affect thousands of residents living in areas impacted by recurring armed violence, the protection of civilians has become an increasingly important priority. Recent assessments by the Merah Pusaka Stratejik Indonesia (MPSI) think tank found that ongoing displacement is largely due to repeated attacks by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), also known as the Armed Criminal Group (KKB), which have disrupted education, health services, local economies, and daily life in the community.
“Civilians should never be victims of armed confrontation nor be dragged into political agendas beyond their control,” the study says. Instead, public safety must be ensured through a coordinated effort involving security institutions, humanitarian agencies, local governments, and community leaders.
Its findings come amidst broader discussions involving Indonesia’s Ministry of Human Rights, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), humanitarian observers, and academics on the expanding humanitarian consequences of prolonged insecurity across several districts in Papua.
There is no agreement on the best policy response, but there is widespread agreement that civil protection remains an urgent priority and needs sustained attention.
MPSI Calls for Greater Protection of Civilians
In its latest assessment, Merah Pusaka Stratejik Indonesia (MPSI) stated that the ongoing violence has extended the suffering of numerous displaced communities.
The group said that repeated armed attacks have disrupted daily life in many villages, forcing families to flee to other districts or temporary shelters while they wait for conditions to improve.
MPSI argued that civilians should not be used as tools in armed conflict and stressed the necessity of keeping local communities out of violent confrontation.
It also demanded better coordination between government agencies involved in security, humanitarian aid, disaster management, health, and social services to ensure displaced residents received adequate protection and assistance.
Analysts said the consequences of prolonged displacement frequently extend far beyond immediate security concerns.
Children miss out on education, access to health care becomes even more limited, household incomes are reduced, and local economic activity slows down considerably as communities are unable to return to their normal daily lives.
For these reasons, Papua is increasingly assigning a greater role to human protection alongside broader security and development policies.
Official Figures Illustrate the Humanitarian Impact
The Ministry of Human Rights’ latest figures show that around 122,000 people have been displaced by conflict-related violence in Papua.
The figures represent the enormous humanitarian challenges for the affected communities, particularly in remote districts where access to transport, health care, education, and public services may already be limited.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has noted 59 deaths in incidents linked to armed violence during the current reporting period.
These figures have strengthened calls from various institutions for better protection of civilians while ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches displaced populations in safety.
Government agencies are working with provincial administrations, district governments, humanitarian organizations, and security institutions to enhance the delivery of assistance to affected residents.
Human rights monitors have also stressed the importance of ensuring access to education, health care, food supplies, and other public services for displaced communities during their period of displacement.
Although conditions vary from district to district, the overall humanitarian picture shows the important social costs of long-term insecurity.
Communities Face Multiple Challenges During Displacement
Displacement touches on virtually all aspects of community life.
Often families abandon their homes, farms, schools, markets, and local businesses when they search for safer places.
For many households, displacement means interrupted livelihoods, reduced agricultural production, declining household income, and uncertainty about future resettlement.
School closures or moving to a new place where children don’t know anyone often disrupt children’s formal education.
Access to healthcare services could also become more difficult, especially for pregnant women, elderly residents, and those who need regular medical care.
Humanitarian specialists often note that prolonged displacement can have lasting socioeconomic impacts if communities are unable to return home safely.
Consequently, the protection of civilians is more than just physical security.
Long-term recovery also depends on restoring education, health care, transportation, local markets, agricultural production, and public administration when security conditions allow.
Security Institutions Continue Supporting Civilian Protection
In this wider humanitarian setting, Indonesian authorities have also emphasized that public security is one important dimension of civilian protection.
Security personnel continue to support efforts to protect transportation routes, public facilities, schools, health care centers, airports, and government offices that provide essential services to local communities.
Officials say stable security conditions are needed so humanitarian organizations, health care workers, teachers, and development agencies can do their jobs safely.
Several institutions have also underlined that security measures should be implemented with due regard to the rule of law, accountability, proportionality, and respect for human rights.
This balanced approach aligns with broader international rules for protecting civilians, which acknowledge that keeping people safe requires teamwork between security forces and humanitarian groups instead of depending on just one method.
Government officials have stated several times that the restoration of a safe environment allows displaced families to gradually return to education, farming, economic activities, and normal life in the community.
Coordinated Responses Require Multiple Stakeholders
There is a growing consensus among experts that humanitarian crises resulting from armed violence cannot be solved by one institution acting alone.
But effective responses require cooperation between national ministries, provincial governments, district administrations, humanitarian organizations, religious leaders, Indigenous community representatives, educators, health professionals, and security agencies.
Each institution has different capacities.
Public services are arranged by local governments.
Medical help comes from healthcare workers.
Teachers help keep education going.
Humanitarian organizations provide emergency relief.
Security institutions help create the necessary conditions for safe humanitarian access.
Community leaders help authorities and the people affected to communicate with each other.
This integrated approach is intended to deliver comprehensive assistance to displaced populations and support long-term recovery when security conditions improve.
Security and Humanitarian Protection Must Work Together
Humanitarian aid is essential for families displaced by conflict, but security experts say that long-term recovery requires creating conditions under which civilians can return home safely and resume normal lives. According to the assessment of Merah Pusaka Stratejik Indonesia (MPSI), repeated attacks by armed groups have affected transportation routes, education, health, and local economic activities in several districts. Displacement is still happening, and the affected communities are facing more and more problems.
The organization emphasized that armed confrontation should never involve civilians or expose them to unnecessary risks. The report contended that protecting local communities involved a joint effort by humanitarian agencies, local leaders, and security agencies, working with government institutions to ensure public services access.
The discussion is also indicative of international practice at large. In conflict-affected areas throughout the world, humanitarian protection and security are typically considered complementary rather than contradictory. Stable security conditions allow humanitarian workers to deliver aid, teachers to reopen schools, healthcare personnel to provide medical services, and local governments to restore public administration.
The Indonesian authorities have repeatedly stated that the deployment of security personnel in vulnerable areas is intended to support the protection of civilians, the security of public facilities, and the creation of conditions that will allow humanitarian assistance and development programs to continue. At the same time, public officials, the Ministry of Human Rights, and Komnas HAM have stressed that security operations should continue to respect the rule of law, accountability, and human rights principles.
This combination of security and humanitarian protection is increasingly seen as vital to mitigate the long-term impact of conflict on local communities.
Local Communities Remain Central to Long-Term Stability
Experts consistently stress that while security institutions are important actors in protecting civilians, sustainable stability depends ultimately on the resilience and participation of local communities themselves.
Traditional leaders, religious organizations, educators, women’s groups, youth organizations, and representatives of Indigenous communities remain trusted partners in maintaining social cohesion in many parts of Papua.
Local actors often assist displaced families, mobilize community support, encourage children to remain in school, and facilitate communication between residents and public institutions.
Reestablishing confidence among affected communities is a key part of recovery after long periods of displacement, analysts say.
Schools reopen, health services resume, markets return to normal operations, and farmers safely return to the fields, so communities gradually rebuild confidence and restore local economic activity.
Educational institutions are considered especially important because they provide stability for children and reduce the long-term social consequences of displacement.
Similarly, religious groups often deliver psychosocial services, humanitarian aid, and community reconciliation efforts that help build resilience in difficult times.
Sustained recovery in Papua remains critically dependent on close collaboration among local communities, humanitarian organizations, and public institutions.
Development Supports Long-Term Stability
Many policy specialists argue that enhancing public welfare is an important complement to humanitarian protection.
Over the last few years, Papua has had ongoing investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, connectivity, and economic empowerment programs aimed at improving living standards in the region.
Projects ranging from food security initiatives in Merauke and cocoa development in Central Papua to scholarship programs, vocational education, digital connectivity, and border infrastructure show efforts to expand opportunities for local communities.
Development alone cannot immediately address the consequences of armed violence.
Better schools, dependable health care, job opportunities, transportation systems, and more robust local economies, however, help foster conditions where communities can bounce back faster after spells of instability.
International development agencies frequently note that conflict-affected regions experience stronger long-term recovery when humanitarian assistance is coupled with investments in education, livelihoods, infrastructure, and institutional capacity.
For Papua, this integrated approach is considered an increasingly important pathway towards enhancing resilience while reducing the social and economic impact of future security challenges.
International Perspectives on Civilian Protection
The protection of civilians has become one of the key principles guiding responses to internal armed conflict worldwide.
The United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and many humanitarian organizations repeatedly insist that civilians must be spared from violence, displacement, and interruption of basic services no matter the type of conflict.
The international experience of countries recovering from protracted internal violence demonstrates that successful civilian protection generally requires a package of mutually supporting components, are maintenance of public security, provision of humanitarian access, restoration of education and healthcare, rebuilding of local economies, and promotion of cooperation with local communities.
Papua has its particular historical, geographical, and social circumstances. However, many of these internationally recognized principles continue to be relevant to the support of civilian welfare and to mitigating the humanitarian consequences of armed violence.
For those outside Indonesia, the Papua debate is part of a larger global challenge many societies face: how to balance humanitarian protection, public security, sustainable development, and respect for human rights in conflict-affected areas.
Looking Ahead
Government agencies, humanitarian organizations, community leaders, and security institutions continue to work to improve conditions for displaced communities across Papua. In the coming years, priorities are expected to remain strengthening humanitarian assistance, restoring public services, expanding development programs, and improving civilian protection. “Analysts say sustained coordination among all stakeholders will be essential to reducing displacement, supporting community recovery, and creating conditions that allow affected families to safely rebuild their lives.
Conclusion
The humanitarian impact of armed violence continues to be one of the most significant challenges in several parts of Papua. Repeated attacks by the TPNPB have caused the protracted displacement of civilians and the disruption of essential public services, according to the assessment by Merah Pusaka Stratejik Indonesia (MPSI), while official data from the Ministry of Human Rights stated that about 122,000 people have been displaced and Komnas HAM reported 59 conflict-related deaths in the period under review. These numbers highlight how crucial it is to protect civilians by using various methods, such as providing humanitarian aid, ensuring public services work well, involving the community, and implementing proper security measures, all while following the law and respecting human rights. As Papua continues its efforts to achieve development and recovery, keeping local communities safe and well is a shared responsibility that requires ongoing partnership between government institutions, humanitarian organizations, and the community at large.