Rebels in Indonesia kill 7 people during gold mine attack in Papua

Police claimed The West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) separatist group led by Egianus Kogoya was behind the shootings

Papua is the Indonesian region in the western half of New Guinea island, made up of 6 provinces. The region has seen several deadly insurgency attacks

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Cartenz Peace Task Force shows troops preparing to retrieve the victims shot by armed rebels i, Papua province, Indonesia. Photo: Handout/Cartenz Peace Task Force/AFP

Published: 9:35pm, 17 Oct 2023

Indonesian police said on Tuesday that armed rebels had gunned down seven civilians when they opened fire on a gold mine in the eastern region of Papua.

Authorities said assailants fired shots at mining workers on Monday afternoon in the remote, mountainous Yahukimo district.

Police claimed The West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) separatist group led by Egianus Kogoya was behind the shootings.

“We will chase the perpetrators and we will take legal action against the separatists and Egianus Kogoya,” Faizal Ramadhani, head of Cartenz Peace Taskforce, a special group formed to handle the Papua separatists, said in a statement Tuesday.

As soon as we arrived at the location, our personnel were attacked and the gunfire lasted 1.5 hours

Faizal Ramadhani, Cartenz Peace Taskforce chief

Ramadhani said a police unit sent to retrieve the bodies and rescue survivors was fired on by the rebels.

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