Komnas HAM Urges DPR to Summon TNI Commander Regarding Habema Task Force
Komnas HAM Commissioner Amiruddin Al Rahab has requested that Commission I of the DPR summon the TNI Commander to address the objectives of establishing the Habema Operational Command Task Force in Papua.
The Habema Task Force has come under scrutiny following a military operation against the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM), which allegedly resulted in the deaths of civilians in Kampung Kembru, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, on 14 April 2026. Komnas HAM has recorded 12 civilian deaths from this incident.
“Commission I should summon the TNI Commander to seek clarity on this incident and whether Papua has been designated as a military operations area,” Amiruddin told Tempo on Sunday, 19 April 2026.
Amiruddin stated that the TNI Commander has never provided clarity on the purpose of deploying the Habema Task Force to Papua. This is because, to date, Papua has not been officially designated as a military operations area.
“What kind of operational force is this really? A military emergency in Papua? No. It’s a civilian-administered area, yet there are military operations. That’s why it needs evaluation,” he said.
According to Amiruddin, the TNI Commander should evaluate the Habema Task Force because their operations have repeatedly caused civilian casualties. He added that the TNI Commander must also explain the actual purpose of forming this task force in Papua.
The lack of clarity surrounding the establishment of the Habema Task Force has also obscured the conflict in Papua. This is because the Habema Task Force is an operational unit sent from outside Papua, yet there is no official declaration that Papua is a military operations area.
According to Amiruddin, this ambiguity hinders Komnas HAM’s efforts to investigate incidents involving civilian casualties, such as in Kembru. “Who is responsible for such forces? Then we can investigate further. Otherwise, we don’t know who to hold accountable.”
Meanwhile, Komnas HAM Chair Anis Hidayah has condemned the Habema Task Force operation that allegedly killed civilians in Kembru District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua. Anis stated that the operation resulted in 12 civilian deaths, including vulnerable groups such as children and women with gunshot wounds. Dozens of civilians also sustained serious injuries.
Anis said that Komnas HAM is still gathering information and coordinating with all parties to confirm the number of victims and their conditions.
“Suppression operations that can be categorised as military operations or military operations other than war, which cause civilian deaths, cannot be justified for any reason,” Anis Hidayah said in her official statement on 17 April 2026.
According to Anis, all forms of attacks on civilians in situations of war or otherwise, carried out by state or non-state actors, constitute human rights violations. Such actions also violate international humanitarian law, leading to breaches of the right to life and the right to security. Anis emphasised that these two rights are non-derogable under any circumstances.
The Head of Public Relations for the TNI Habema Operational Command Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry Wirya Arthadiguna, stated that the shooting of children and the operation against TPNPB-OPM were two separate incidents.
Wirya said that although both incidents occurred on 14 April 2026, they did not happen at the same location. “Therefore, they cannot be concluded as one interconnected event,” Wirya said in his written statement on Saturday, 18 April 2026.
According to Wirya, the first incident occurred on 14 April 2026 in Kampung Kembru, Puncak Regency, Central Papua. At that time, TNI was following up on reports from residents of OPM presence in the area.
Wirya recounted that upon arriving at the location, the team was fired upon by the armed group, leading to a firefight. In this incident, four armed OPM members were killed. The second incident also occurred on 14 April 2026 in Kampung Jiginggi, Central Papua. Kampung Jiginggi is 3 kilometres from Kembru.
Initially, TNI personnel received a report from village head Venius Walia stating that a child from his village had died from a gunshot wound. Wirya said TNI personnel immediately conducted checks and confirmed the victim’s presence. However, investigations and deepening inquiries are still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.
“TNI emphasises that there was no activity by TNI personnel in Kampung Jiginggi during the shooting of the child, and the two incidents occurred at different locations and times and are not related,” Wirya said.