Three soldiers were killed and another seriously injured by an armed separatist group in an attack on a military post in Indonesia’s easternmost province, Papua, the army said.

The January 27 attack was carried out by the West Papua National Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization, in Tigilobak, Puncak district.

Indonesian army spokesman Colonel Aqsha Erlangga said the rebels ambushed the soldiers at dawn as the guard was being changed at the military post.

He said the rebels killed one soldier at the scene and mortally wounded another before fleeing into the jungle.

They attacked again as Indonesian soldiers tried to evacuate the seriously injured soldier, mortally wounding another soldier and injuring another.

West Papua National Liberation Army spokesman Sebby Sambom later claimed responsibility for the attack.

If the central government cares about the common good, it will tell all Papuans, including separatist rebels, to sit down for talks

“[We] will continue to mobilize our fighters in our 34 defense regions across the country of Papua,” Papuan news portal jubi.co.id quoted him as saying.

Father Bernard Baru, president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Augustinian Order in Papua, condemned the attack and called on both parties to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue.

“If the central government cares about the common good, they will tell all Papuans, including separatist rebels, to sit down for talks,” he told UCA News.

He said the Catholic Church could play an important role as a mediator.

Thank you. You are now subscribed to the daily newsletter

The attack was the latest in a decades-long campaign of violence by separatists seeking independence from Indonesia.

In September last year, four soldiers were killed by separatist rebels in an attack on a military post in Kisor, Maybrat district, West Papua province.

Support UCA News…

….As we enter the early months of 2022, we ask readers like you to help us keep UCA News free.

For 40 yearsUCA News has remained Asia’s most trusted and independent Catholic news and information service. Every week we publish nearly 100 news items exclusive, in-depth news stories, reports, commentary, podcasts and video shows, and developed from a view of the world and the Church through discerning Catholic eyes.

Our journalistic standards are as high as those of the quality press; we are particularly focused on a rapidly growing part of the world – Asia – where in some countries the Church is growing faster than pastoral resources can meet – South Korea, Vietnam and India for n to name just three.

And UCA News has the advantage of having in its ranks local reporters covering 23 countries in South, Southeast and East Asia. We report the stories of local people and their experiences in ways that Western media simply don’t have the resources to reach. And we report on the budding life of new Churches in ancient lands where being Catholic can sometimes be very dangerous.

With diminishing support from funding partners in Europe and the United States, we need to enlist the support of those who benefit from our work.

Click here to find out how you can support UCA News. You can make a difference for as little as US$5…