Separatists in the Indonesian region of Papua where a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage in February have been siphoning off government aid money to buy black market guns for a deadly guerrilla war, officials say.
A man who is identified as Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who is said to be held hostage by a pro-independence group, sits among separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region in this undated handout picture released on May 26, 2023. The West Papua National Liberation Army /Handout via REUTERSpilot was taken hostage
The escalating insurgency is coinciding with a spike in illegal weapons sales in the region, according to lawyers and court documents, with the village fund providing a key source of revenue. Otomi Djiwangge, a spokesperson for the Nduga district government, said Dana Desa was "not supported by the right monitoring" and the local government had no authority to supervise it.
In 2021, NGO Indonesia Corruption Watch identified 154 cases of alleged corruption related to the fund, the highest of any government sector spending. "I have never seen a project funded by the village fund, not at all," said Bernadus Kobogau, a tourism official in Intan Jaya. Instead, he said, deadly skirmishes once confined to the jungle now occur in the middle of town.The increased firepower of Papua's rebels was evident in recent photos released along with a threat to shoot Mehrtens if independence talks don't start within two months.
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