A Catholic teacher was killed and seven other people injured in an attack by separatists on a school in the Papua Highlands province of Indonesia.
The attack took place in the Anggruk district on March 21 by the pro-independence group known as the Eden Sawi-cum-Sisipa Battalion, police said in a statement on 24 March.
Rosalia Rerek Sogen, 30, from the Diocese of Larantuka, died in the raid in which the seven other teachers and health workers were injured, some seriously.
The group was going about their daily duties, when they were suddenly ambushed by members of the separatist armed group.
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.
Among the seven people hurt during the attack, three were seriously injured, according to police.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti extended the ministry’s condolences and also voiced hope that such violence would not recur, especially against teachers and educational personnel tasked with serving in Indonesia’s frontier, outermost and disadvantaged regions, reported <em>Antara News</em>.
Bishop Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You of Jayapura sent a statement to <em>Crux</em> highlighting how 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 favour 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) [to which the Eden Sawi-cum-Sisipa Battalion belongs] 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...the Church emphasises the importance of a peaceful dialogue between Jakarta [the Indonesian capital] 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.
<em>Photo: Papuan children attending a class at a temporary shelter in Wamena of Papua province, Indonesia, 12 February 2019. (Photo credit should read STAF STEEL/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
