In an attack thought to have been carried out by armed separatists, nine people were shot and killed in Papua, Indonesia’s most eastern province, authorities said on Saturday. According to police in Jayapura, the provincial capital, the incident—which was the bloodiest in recent years—took place early on Saturday in the remote highland region of Nduga.
According to Faizal Rahmadani, director of criminal investigation for the Papua regional police, there was an attack on civilians that left 10 persons with gunshot wounds, nine of whom tragically died.
Despite prioritising evacuating civilians, he claimed, authorities were still looking into the event. The Papua police spokesperson was unavailable for comment when contacted by Reuters right away.
With the addition of South Papua, Central Papua, and Highland Papua provinces, the region will be divided from two into five provinces, prompting protests days prior to Saturday’s attack.
