A Catholic teacher is killed in Western Papua, an area of Indonesia
MUMBAI, India – A Catholic teacher was killed and seven other people injured in an attack on a school by separatists in Papua Highlands province, police said March 24.
The attack took place in Anggruk district, in Yahukimo Regency on March 21 by an armed criminal group — the Indonesian government’s label for pro-independence group the National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Organization (TPN-OPM) — police said in a statement.
Rosalia Rerek Sogen, 30, from the Diocese of Larantuka, died in a raid in the district of Anggruk – in the Yahukimo region – in which eight other people – other teachers and health workers – were seriously injured.
The attack took place while the group was going about their daily duties. They were suddenly ambushed by members of a separatist armed group known as the Eden Sawi-cum-Sisipa Battalion.
According to local military sources, the attackers set fire to a classroom and the teachers’ dormitory after their demands for money were not met.
The separatist group justified the attack by claiming that the teachers and health workers were undercover military personnel. This statement followed an earlier declaration by the head of the Indonesian Armed Forces, General Agus Subiyanto, who claimed that the military were deployed in the area to guarantee the safety of the civilians.
Seven other people were injured, three of them seriously, according to police who said the rebels also burned down the local school building.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti extended the ministry’s condolences over the death of Rosalina Rerek Sogen, an elementary school
He voiced hope that such violence would not recur, especially against teachers and educational personnel tasked with serving in Indonesia’s frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) regions reported Antara news.
Bishop Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You of Jayapura in Indonesia sent a statement to Crux saying the conflict in Papua has persisted for over six decades, beginning with the controversial Act of Free Choice (Pepera) in 1969, in which 1,025 people selected by the Indonesian military in Western New Guinea voted unanimously in favor of Indonesian control.
The majority of the population of Western New Guinea is Christian, even though Indonesia is predominantly Muslim.
“This conflict has claimed countless lives from various groups, including the Indonesian military, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), and civilians. Reports indicate that thousands have lost their lives, whether in direct combat or due to the broader impacts of the conflict, such as starvation, disease, and psychological trauma,” the message sent by the bishop says.
“Waves of displacement have also been a stark consequence of this conflict. Many civilians have been forced to flee their homes in several regencies in Papua, such as Nduga, Intan Jaya, and Yahukimo, in search of safer areas. These displacements often occur under extremely challenging conditions, with limited access to food, clean water, and healthcare,” the message continues.
“The Catholic Church strongly condemns this violence as a violation of human rights. The Church emphasizes the importance of a peaceful dialogue between Jakarta and Papua to end the cycle of violence that brings only suffering. The Church calls for collaboration between the government, customary leaders, and religious communities for a solution that is humane and rooted in love, justice, and peace,” the statement concludes.