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nine civilians killed in attack by militants in Papua village

AFP

NOS Newstoday, 13:33

Militants have shot and killed at least nine people in the Indonesian province of Papua.

According to the police, a group fighting for an independent Papua is behind the attack; armed militiamen fired on civilians in a village in the past Nduga region, Indonesia’s state news agency reports Between. A police officer speaks of a massacre by a “terror group”.

He said he could not share further details about the attack, because agents gave priority to evacuating people. Reuters news agency reports that it is one of the deadliest attacks in Papua in years.

New law

The attack comes shortly after protests in Papua against a new law dividing Papua into five administrative areas instead of the current two.

According to the government of Indonesia, this is good for the development of the province. Independence fighters in Papua fear that Jakarta is trying to get a better grip on the province with more regions.

Tensions in Papua between residents and the Indonesian authorities already increased last year. The Indonesian government then sent an additional 400 troops to Papua after independence fighters killed a senior Indonesian intelligence officer.

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