TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) unveiled the reasons behind the shooting of three civilians in the Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands, on Monday, July 21, 2026.
The spokesperson for the TPNPB Headquarters, Sebby Sambom, said the shooting of Yantinus alias Kumis Kogoya, his wife Shelly Wenda, and a woman from the Unaukam tribe was carried out because they were accused of being intelligence agents for the security forces.
"Traitors must be executed, and we have evidence that they betrayed the Papuan people," Sebby said via WhatsApp on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
Sebby explained that Kumis Kogoya and Shelly Wenda allegedly allowed heavy equipment access for corporations in the Yahukimo region. This entry was claimed to have taken place alongside TNI soldier deployment in the area, which threatened the existence of the TPNPB militia.
Additionally, Kumis Kogoya was also accused of facilitating TNI soldiers in finding the hiding place of the TPNPB militia in Yahukimo, resulting in the death of several TPNPB members in a sneak attack.
Sebby did not deny that Kumis Kogoya had once been part of the TPNPB militia. However, his meeting with the Deputy Chief of the Yahukimo Police Resort (Wakapolres) was deemed strong evidence to label him as a traitor.
Nevertheless, Sebby did not provide supporting documents to validate the allegations. He only emphasized that his group's actions are based on the law of the jungle during warfare, which is to execute traitors or civilian sell-outs who conspire with security forces at the expense of Papua's independence.
"We are the ones who know the situation inside. So, stop building narratives without knowing the situation," said Sebby.
Previously, a widely circulated video showed TPNPB militants executing Kumis Kogoya and his wife on the edge of the Trans Papua Road in the Yahukimo region, accusing them of being intelligence agents causing casualties on the TPNPB side.
TNI's Denial
In response to the allegations, the Head of Information at the Indonesian National Armed Forces Headquarters, Brigadier General Muhammad Nas, strongly denied the accusation that Kumis Kogoya and his wife were military intelligence agents or had ever provided information to the TNI.
"That is the outdated way of the OPM to cover up their cruelty," Nas emphasized.
Read: Papua's OPM Accuses Indonesian Military of Planting Landmines in Yakuhimo
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