Two arrests have revealed a dangerous game of clandestine warfare in the highlands of Papua. On September 29, 2025, Indonesian security forces captured Erek Enumbi, alias Udara, and Hugon Gire, alias Yemiter Murip, suspected of being key suppliers of illegal firearms and ammunition to the TPNPB-OPM—known more broadly in Indonesia as the Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata (KKB), or Armed Criminal Group.
The arrests, conducted by the Damai Cartenz Task Force, mark a critical victory in a protracted and deeply rooted conflict that has claimed lives, hindered development, and scarred generations of Papuans. But behind the successful operation lies a grim and sobering reality: Papua’s gun problem is not isolated. It is systematic, networked, and increasingly international.
The Operation: Breaking Open a Supply Vein
Acting on intelligence, officers of Satgas Ops Damai Cartenz swooped into Kampung Karubate, a remote village in the Muara District of Puncak Jaya Regency. The terrain is difficult, communication sparse, and loyalty often split between families and ideologies. Yet the operation was precise. Hugon Gire aka Yemiter Murip was the first to be apprehended, reportedly caught while physically transporting live ammunition.
Erek Enumbi aka Udara was seized shortly after, discovered in a plantation area, and believed to be operating in close coordination with Hugon. Both men are believed to have been supplying arms directly to the TPNPB faction led by Ternus Enumbi, alias Tesko, a field commander known to Indonesian security forces and feared by many locals.
From the suspects, officers recovered six rounds of 9 mm ammunition, two rounds of 7.62 mm, four rounds of 5.56 mm, and a set of carrier items: a sling bag, a plastic pouch, banana leaves (used for camouflage or packaging), and a Tecno Spark mobile phone used for coordinating drops and communication.
The arrest revealed that the arms were intended for use in ongoing militant activities in the region—attacks that often target Indonesian security forces but have increasingly endangered civilians, development workers, and even indigenous Papuans.
Unanswered Questions: Where Do the Bullets Come From?
While the arrests temporarily stem one supply route, a more haunting question remains unresolved: Where is the ammunition coming from?
According to Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, the head of Damai Cartenz, authorities are still investigating the origin of the seized ammunition. The type and caliber suggest both military-grade and commercially available sources. The diversity of rounds—used in handguns, rifles, and military weapons—implies multiple procurement channels.
The suspicion that elements from the military or law enforcement may have leaked ammunition—either through theft, corruption, or black-market trade—has not been ruled out. In earlier cases, two rogue soldiers were arrested for selling arms to KKB networks, sparking a nationwide outcry and calls for deeper internal audits within the TNI and POLRI. The shadow network, as some security analysts now refer to it, is believed to stretch beyond Papua, into Java, Sulawesi, and even international borders.
Arms Trafficking in the Highlands: A Growing Web
The Puncak Jaya operation follows a series of similar crackdowns across Indonesia in 2025, pointing to the existence of an inter-island trafficking network.
In early 2025, the Damai Cartenz Task Force intercepted a Java-based network attempting to ship 17 firearms and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition to Papua. The operation revealed coordination between smugglers in Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Jakarta, Manokwari, and Jayapura, facilitated through coded digital communications, cash payments, and trusted couriers.
One of the financiers, identified as YE, was believed to have been operating under the guise of a logistics manager while facilitating weapons purchases online and offline. The operation also implicated local port officials and a former army mechanic, now serving jail time for modifying and shipping dismantled weapons under the cover of spare machinery.
The scale and coordination of these efforts show that what’s unfolding in Papua is not merely a series of isolated insurgent skirmishes—it is a low-intensity conflict fueled by real logistics, money, and ideology.
The Human Toll of Escalating Violence
Every bullet smuggled into Papua represents not just a security threat—it’s a potential life lost, a community displaced, or a school closed for fear of violence.
Over the past five years, the frequency and brutality of KKB attacks have escalated. Teachers have been kidnapped, telecommunication towers burned, and health workers gunned down. Many regions in Papua, especially in Puncak, Intan Jaya, and Nduga, remain on edge—caught between militant operations and military reprisals.
Villagers live in fear, often too scared to collaborate with authorities due to threats or past trauma. Aid workers describe ghost villages, emptied by evacuations. Parents are reluctant to send children to school, and local businesses—already scarce in these highland areas—have closed shop entirely.
The tragedy is cyclical: militant attacks provoke military responses, which fuel further alienation and sometimes collateral damage, which then swell the ranks of those sympathetic to the separatist cause.
External Involvement: Are Foreign Hands at Play?
Recent investigations have pointed to another chilling development: foreign complicity.
Reports suggest that some weapons flowing into Papua may originate from Australia, the Philippines, and even Eastern Europe, trafficked via intermediaries in Papua New Guinea (PNG) or through fishing vessels and unregulated maritime routes.
An in-depth exposé by West Papua Voice in August 2025 revealed suspected arms brokers with dual nationalities operating through crypto-based transactions and darknet markets, exploiting Papua’s porous borders and limited coastal monitoring.
The Indonesian government has since increased naval patrols in Merauke, Timika, and Biak, but the sheer geographic scale and limited resources make full enforcement almost impossible.
A Call for Strategy Beyond Suppression
The arrest of Enumbi and Gire may represent a tactical milestone, but it alone will not resolve the complex and enduring conflict in Papua. Experts warn that military success on the ground must be paired with a broader, multi-dimensional strategy that addresses both the symptoms and the root causes of separatist violence. At the forefront of this strategy is the need to aggressively dismantle the arms supply networks that fuel militant operations. This means targeting not just the couriers, but also the manufacturers, distributors, financiers, and corrupt intermediaries involved in trafficking weapons into the region.
Yet cutting off the supply chain is only one part of the equation. Sustained community engagement is equally vital. Local residents—often caught between militants and security forces—need to be empowered to report suspicious activity through secure and anonymous channels. Their cooperation, however, must be earned through protection programs and trust-building measures that prioritize their safety and dignity. Simultaneously, the integrity of security forces must be guaranteed through transparent oversight and internal audits. If rogue individuals within the military or police are found complicit in arms trafficking, they must be held accountable to prevent further erosion of public trust.
Long-term stability also requires that military operations be paired with meaningful development. Security cannot exist in a vacuum; it must be accompanied by visible improvements in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and access to economic opportunity. When basic services are provided and communities feel seen and supported, the appeal of insurgency diminishes. Finally, any sustainable solution must include the reopening of inclusive peace dialogues. Engaging moderate Papuan voices—those who seek resolution through political recognition and cultural autonomy rather than violence—is essential to bridging decades of mistrust and resentment. Arrests may stop a shipment, but only dialogue and development can stop a war.
What Comes Next for Papua?
The capture of two men in a remote village won’t end the war. But it represents something larger—a strategic fault line where Indonesia can choose between militarized containment and integrated reconciliation.
Will the supply lines be permanently dismantled? Can intelligence operations evolve fast enough to keep up with fragmented, mobile insurgents? Will the state offer more than just bullets in return for loyalty?
These are not questions easily answered—but they must be asked. For the people of Papua, who have lived too long between silence and gunfire, the hope remains that peace will one day replace conflict and that the sound echoing through the valley is no longer gunfire—but healing.
Conclusion
The arrest of two illegal arms couriers in Puncak Jaya exposes just one node in a much larger and more complex arms trafficking network fueling separatist violence in Papua. While the operation is a tactical win for Indonesian forces, it points to the need for broader strategies involving intelligence coordination, community engagement, and development. Lasting peace in Papua will depend not only on disrupting weapon supply chains but also on addressing the deep political, social, and economic roots of the conflict.