After the conflict re-ignited in the highlands of Nduga, West Papua, it was confirmed that children in the area had joined separatist groups as soldiers, triggering concerns about the "cycle of revenge." Papuan rebels have been fighting for independence for at least 50 years, but evidence that children joined the battle has caused concern among community leaders. Indonesia ratified the UN Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in 2012, but the TNI has not yet recognized the existence of child soldiers in West Papua.

By: Febriana Firdaus (Al Jazeera)

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Six months after the TNI stepped up its operations to fight separatist rebels post-murder 17 construction workers, evidence emerged that children had been actively involved in the prolonged conflict in Papua.

The photo distributed by the rebels showed a group of pro-independence fighters in the hills and, among them, three children were seen; their faces were smeared with camouflage paint and carried high-powered rifles.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the Free Papua Movement (OPM), said that although he was worried that children would participate, they "had no choice" but to take up arms.

He said the children in the photo were 15 years old.

"Imagine, the TNI attacked the village, killing parents and their families," Sambom said, explaining that the photo was taken in Nduga district where thousands of people were displaced by the recent fighting.

"Some children take up arms to avenge the deaths of their families. This is a political situation, and the world needs to recognize this. "

Papuan rebels have been fighting for independence for at least 50 years, but evidence that children joined the battle has caused concern among community leaders.

"The trauma of this child can perpetuate the cycle of revenge," said Father John Djonga, a prominent Catholic priest in the central highlands of Papua. "It will be more terrible in the future," he said.

In February, Child Soldiers International (CSI), a London-based rights group, said the number of child soldiers recruited around the world, contrary to international conventions, had increased dramatically in recent years.

The group verified more than 29,000 cases of children recruited as soldiers between 2012 and 2017 in 17 countries around the world, but that does not include West Papua because the area remains restricted to foreign journalists and international organizations, including diplomats, who need it. special permission to visit the region. Tourists can visit provided they apply for a travel permit.

Shelly Whitman, executive director of the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, which seeks to stop the use of child soldiers around the world, said children under 18 are often involved in conflicts not only to avenge the death of friends and family, but also because of poverty, and lack of empowerment.

Not all will be at the forefront. They may only provide food or water for adult soldiers or act as scouts, but the longer they spend time with the group the more likely they will take up arms, he said.

"This is an early warning indicator of the potential for human rights violations that are far more deliberate and calculated," Whitman told Al Jazeera. "That must be considered. The world must pay attention. "

Nduga, whose population was largely isolated from the outside world until missionaries arrived in 1962, is famous for its cultural diversity and is part of the World Heritage-listed Lorentz National Park, but the highlands have also been at the heart of the conflict, which began after Indonesia gained control of West Papua after a controversial referendum.

People in the central highlands have "terrible collective memories of state violence and tend to be anti-government" compared to other regions in Papua, writes researcher Adriana Elisabeth of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in a 2008 report.

FROM FATHER TO CHILDREN

Tribal competition also plays a role in ongoing unrest, according to Enos Rumansara, an anthropologist from Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, with two indigenous tribes ― Kogoya and Wenda ― dominating the district for successive generations.

Benny Wenda, who escaped from an Indonesian prison in 2002 and now lives in exile in Britain, heads the Papuan independence movement. His father - who was also a rebel leader - was killed by the TNI in 1997.

"Natural conditions shape their character, friends in the countryside, they know the culture of tribal warfare," Enos said, adding that indigenous people see Indonesia as an outsider. "To this day, tribal clashes sometimes still occur. The clashes are usually triggered by the struggle for women or land. "

The current leader of the Free Papua Organization, Egianus Kogoya, 19, is the youngest son of the group's former leader, Silas Kogoya, who was killed after Operation Mapenduma in 1996 when the TNI tried to rescue a group of environmental researchers who had been kidnapped by the rebels.

In high school, Egianus refused to study Pancasila, which he considered an oppressive instrument of government. That's when he decided to quit school, his older sister Raga Kogoya told Al Jazeera.

"He felt he did not need to learn about the country that caused his father's death," he said. "He was hurt."

Indonesia ratified the UN Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in 2012, but the TNI has not yet recognized the existence of child soldiers in West Papua.

"We do not know about the information claimed by the West Papua National Liberation Army," Brigadier General Sisriadi, TNI publicist, told Al Jazeera.

He added that as far as the TNI knew, they only fought with adults and refused to discuss the matter further.

Also Read: Malnutrition Kills at least 139 Refugees in Papua

Whitman of the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, said that the TNI needs to make efforts to understand what causes children to be involved in violence. Tribal and religious leaders also have a role to help children escape violence.

"Someone has to break the cycle and find another way," he said.

Six months after they left their home, the abandoned children of Nduga have not received any counseling.

"Given the fact that these children suffer trauma, [we] hope that these children get psychological rehabilitation services," said Retno Listyarti, commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission. "If the local government cannot fulfill it, then they can ask the central government," he told Al Jazeera.

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Yohana Yembise did not respond to Al Jazeera's question about the suffering of these children.

The night before Easter, a group of displaced young people gathered at a church in Wamena in the central highlands.

Two volunteers asked them to write down their hopes for the future on a piece of paper and hang it on the "tree of hope". One child says they want to be a nurse, another child wants to make their parents happy.

But some children have other ambitions.

"He wants to be a [pro-independence] fighter," one of the boys laughed as he pointed at his friend.

Main photo caption: In a photo taken in May 2019, and released by the West Papua Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization, adult men and children from the West Papua Liberation Army pose while holding weapons in the Nduga region in the central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia . (Photo: via AP).

source: https://www.matamatapolitik.com/siklus-balas-dendam-bergabungnya-anak-anak-ke-pasukan-opm-in-depth/?