Fears of More Conflict in West Papua After American Pilot Killed by Militants

Fears of further conflict are mounting in Indonesia's Papua region following the killing of an American pilot by West Papuan militants. Nicholas F Gosselin was killed after landing a small aircraft in the remote Sobaham District of Yahukimo Regency on Thursday. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for the attack and for burning the plane.

Gosselin had transported seven passengers from Wamena to Yahukimo in a PT AMA aircraft. The TPNPB has previously issued warnings to foreigners against flying into the region if they are collaborating with Indonesia's military, with whom the group is engaged in a protracted conflict. Eneko Bahabol, a human rights defender with the Papua Council of Churches, noted that the other passengers on board were local Papuan villagers who reportedly escaped unharmed.

Bahabol highlighted that Indonesia's military frequently relies on small airlines to access remote airstrips in Papua's interior. "We have seen the call from the TPNPB not to transport military personnel. We have followed this in every one of their releases, but we see that the companies and the pilots do not listen to it, and this applies to all pilots transporting military personnel," Bahabol stated. This incident is not the first time the TPNPB has targeted pilots or burned aircraft in the highlands; in February 2023, they kidnapped a New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, who was later released after nineteen months.

The Indonesian military has reportedly denied that the aircraft attacked was used to transport troops. Meanwhile, civilians in Sobaham's Balinggama village have fled to neighboring districts due to fears of a retaliatory military operation. This event occurs amid an increase in violent incidents in Highland Papua, linked to the ongoing conflict between Indonesian security forces and the TPNPB, which has resulted in numerous civilian casualties and displacements. Bahabol, speaking for the Papua Council of Churches, urged both sides to de-escalate the violence.

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We have seen the call from the TPNPB not to transport military personnel. We have followed this in every one of their releases, but we see that the companies and the pilots do not listen to it, and this applies to all pilots transporting military personnel.