Yalimo – Violence committed by the Free Papua Movement (OPM) has again injured innocent civilians. The latest incident occurred in Hobakma Village, Elelim District, Yalimo, Papua Mountains, where two civilians were victims of a brutal attack by an armed OPM group.
Kapendam XVII/Cenderawasih, Colonel Inf Candra Kurniawan revealed that the OPM group carried out the attack by shooting and slashing the two civilians without any clear reason. This incident reaffirms that the violent actions carried out by this separatist group have placed civilians as easy targets for their violent struggle.
“OPM is no longer just fighting for the aspirations of independence, but also relies on terror and violence against civilians that have nothing to do with the conflict. We strongly condemn this action which only adds to the suffering of the Papuan people,” said Colonel Candra Kurniawan.
This is not the first time such a terror act has occurred, and it seems that the OPM group is becoming more daring in committing violence against civilians. This separatist group has carried out a number of attacks at various points in Papua, adding to the long list of victims, most of whom are civilians who are not involved in the armed conflict.
This was made clear by the OPM group that carried out the attack by shooting and slashing 2 civilians in Hobakma Village, Elelim District, Yalimo, Papua Pegununungan. The two victims of the attack in early 2025 with the initials EF (37) and AT (34) work as censors.
“The OPM’s barbaric actions resulted in the deaths of two civilians, namely EF and AT,” said Kapendam XVII/Cenderawasih Colonel Inf Candra Kurniawan.
The security forces continue to make maximum efforts to crush the OPM and provide a sense of security for the Papuan people.
“We will continue to intensify security operations to hunt down and arrest these terrorists. There is no room for those who want to destroy the peace and welfare of society,” he said.
“The perpetrators are human rights violators and are currently being pursued by the TNI Polri security forces. The two victims were successfully evacuated and immediately taken to the Elelim Health Center,” added Colonel Candra.
The government is also committed to increasing development efforts in Papua to reduce inequality and ensure people’s welfare. However, eradicating OPM does not only depend on the strength of the security forces. The community also has an important role in overcoming this separatist group.
“We invite all elements of society to jointly monitor and report any information related to OPM activities that could harm society and threaten state sovereignty,” concluded Colonel Candra.