WPNLA/TPNPB personnel in Intan Jaya, Central Papua (photo courtesy)
Intan Jaya, Papua – Armed clashes between the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army (WPNLA/TPNPB) have intensified once again. On Saturday, April 19, 2025, a TPNPB unit from Kodap VIII Intan Jaya, led by Commander Yosua Maiseni, launched an ambush on an Indonesian military convoy, killing two TNI soldiers and injuring several others.
The assault took place at around 3:00 PM local time between Mamba and Titigi villages, where a TNI tactical vehicle was destroyed in a surprise attack by the pro-independence armed group.
“We successfully destroyed a tactical vehicle and shot dead two Indonesian soldiers in this ambush,” Commander Yosua Maiseni stated in his official report submitted to the Central Command of WPNLA/TPNPB.
This incident marks the latest escalation in the ongoing armed conflict in Papua’s interior, a region long characterized by guerrilla warfare between Indonesian forces and local resistance groups.
Following the attack, TPNPB announced that its forces in Intan Jaya are now on high alert, anticipating potential retaliatory strikes from the Indonesian military, including the use of armed helicopters and drone bombings.
“We are ready for war. This is guerrilla warfare, gun against gun. We warn the Indonesian military not to conduct airstrikes. If they dare enter our territory, we are prepared to fight,” said Commander Maiseni.
The statement underscores the worsening tensions and reaffirms TPNPB’s commitment to resisting the Indonesian military presence in Papua. For the group, this attack was not just a tactical operation but a politically charged act of resistance.
Through national spokesperson Sebby Sambom, TPNPB reiterated that their armed resistance is part of a broader struggle for the independence of West Papua from Indonesian rule. The ambush serves as a reminder that the conflict is far from over and that Jakarta’s military approach will continue to be challenged by the will of the Papuan people.
274 Soldiers Deployed to Teluk Bintuni
Meanwhile, tensions are also rising in Moskona Barat District, Teluk Bintuni Regency, following the Indonesian government’s decision to deploy 274 troops from West Java to the area. The deployment is officially framed as a mission to locate First Inspector Tomi Samuel Marbun, an officer who has been missing since December 2024.
However, the operation, code-named “Alpha Bravo Moskona 2025”, is suspected to be more than just a search mission. According to a press release from the WPNLA/TPNPB Central Command, released Sunday, April 20, 2025, Iptu Marbun disappeared during a military operation against TPNPB’s Kodap IV Sorong Raya on December 18, 2024.
That mission ended in a deadly exchange of fire and the eventual capture and reported death of Moskona Battalion Commander, Major Marthen Aikingging. TPNPB alleges that Major Aikingging was taken alive, tortured, and submerged in a swamp until he died, an act they claim violated the rules of warfare. The mission had been led directly by Iptu Tomi Marbun, who was declared missing shortly afterward.
TPNPB has raised concerns about suspicious developments following Marbun’s disappearance, particularly the return of his personal items, including his weapon, tactical vest, and mobile phone to his family.
The group considers this highly unusual, especially since such items could have been instrumental in tracing his last known location using platforms like Google Find My Device. “This points to a systematic attempt to erase evidence and conceal the truth behind Marbun’s disappearance,” said WPNLA/TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom.
TPNPB also suspects that Iptu Marbun may have been murdered by his own comrades, potentially to silence him as a witness to the alleged torture and extrajudicial killing of Major Aikingging.
Civilian Populations at Risk
The mass deployment of troops to remote regions like Moskona Barat has raised serious concerns among local communities. TPNPB warned that the military presence could severely disrupt the lives of indigenous residents who rely on subsistence farming, hunting, and foraging in forests and swamps for survival.
“This is not a search operation, it is a state-led effort to cover up its own military misconduct. We demand the immediate withdrawal of these troops,” read the TPNPB statement.
In its press release, the group called on President Prabowo Subianto, the TNI Commander, and Indonesian Police leadership to reevaluate the ongoing military operation in Teluk Bintuni, halt all forms of intimidation against civilians, and ensure transparency surrounding the disappearance of Iptu Tomi Marbun.
They also emphasized that captured TPNPB fighters should be treated as prisoners of war, not subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution.
This statement was signed by General Goliath Tabuni, WPNLA/TPNPB’s High Commander, alongside Lt. Gen. Melkisedek Awom and Maj. Gen. Terianus Satto, underscoring the unified stance of the Papuan armed resistance. (Julian Haganah Howay)
