Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jayapura (Agenzia Fides) - In view of the Christmas celebrations on December 25, the Bishop of Jayapura, Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You, calls for an end to the measures that prevent displaced Papuans from returning home to celebrate Christmas in the Oksop district.
In the Oksop region, according to local sources, hundreds of people fled on November 30 when the army launched a special operation against members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB). The residents found refuge in the Pegunungan Bintang area, a regency in the Indonesian province of Papua, on the island of New Guinea.
After ten days, the police chief of Pegunungan Bintang, Anto Seven, said that the situation in Oksop had almost returned to normal and that the refugees, most of them Christians, could return home without any problems.
Bishop You, meanwhile, announced that his diocese, together with the Secretariat for Justice, Peace and Preservation of Creation of the Franciscans of Papua and the Department of Law and Human Rights of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI), has determined that the state of emergency continues and "the number of refugees has reached 401 people. Among them there are more than 30 children aged between two months and 12 years and 115 women, including several pregnant women and the elderly".
The Bishop explained that "the presence of the troops prevents the displaced from returning to their hometowns". The situation in Oksop, which has been going on for days, "shows that this is a humanitarian emergency" that "requires the utmost attention from everyone". For this reason, Bishop You also appeals to the institutions of the Pegunungan Bintang regency to "provide protection and assistance to the refugees" while they await their return. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 17/12/2024)
