10/10/2026
The number of people displaced by conflict in West Papua continues to rise.
As of the end of August 2026, Human Rights Monitor Human Rights Monitor estimates that more than 127,031 people remain internally displaced across West Papua.
New displacement was reported during July and August in Yahukimo, Intan Jaya and Paniai, while communities displaced from Puncak and Oksop continue to live away from their homes amid ongoing military presence, security operations and limited humanitarian access.
In Yahukimo, around 500 Indigenous Papuans reportedly fled towards Manggelum District and the area around Wage Lake in July. Later that month, approximately 600 people from the Korowai area fled into forests and neighbouring regencies following ground and air security operations. In Intan Jaya, residents of Ugimba were again displaced in August, with people seeking shelter in neighbouring villages, Sugapa town and forest caves.
For the first time, the Indonesian central government has also publicly acknowledged the scale of conflict-related displacement. In July, the Deputy Minister for Human Rights said preliminary government data indicated around 122,000 internally displaced people.
The precise number remains difficult to establish. Many displaced Papuans live with relatives or in scattered forest shelters rather than formal camps. But the direction is clear. Human Rights Monitor’s estimates have risen from around 85,000 in 2024, to more than 105,000 at the end of 2025, and now more than 127,000.
For Indigenous Papuan communities, displacement means far more than leaving a house. It can mean losing access to gardens, livestock, schools, healthcare, community networks and customary land. Some communities have now been displaced for years, still waiting for conditions that would allow them to return home safely.
