The West Papua Armed Criminal Group recruits teenagers in the West Papua region to become members. Those recruited from among the junior high school and senior high school teenagers were used as shields to attack Indonesian and Police and Army personnel.

Chief of Information Department of XVII/Cenderawasih Indonesian Army Colonel Herman Taryaman said the West Papua Armed Criminal Group, through its sympathizers, came directly to and influenced the teenagers who were its targets. The West Papua Armed Criminal Group launched its operations both in the Nduga region, Highlands Papua and in Intan Jaya, Central Papua.

“Now the West Papua Armed Criminal Group has actually invited junior high school and senior high school teenagers to attack the Police and Army officers,” said Herman (April/25/2023).

Herman couldn’t stop thinking about the actions of the West Papua Armed Criminal Group. According to him, the methods adopted by the West Papua Armed Criminal Group are very barbaric.

“After making shields for women and teenagers when they attacked ARMY officers some time ago in Mugi-Mam, Nduga resulted in ARMY soldiers becoming victims,” he explained.

“One of them was when the Police and army carried out a search for Susi Air pilots in the Nduga region and in other areas in Papua,” he added.

According to Herman, the actions of the West Papua Armed Criminal Group are a form of violation of human rights. He emphasized that the crimes of the West Papua Armed Criminal Group could not be tolerated.

The West Papua Armed Criminal Group terror act is said to have made residents emotional. They do not want their children and youth to be sacrificed by the West Papua Armed Criminal Group.

“So it’s not wrong if residents in Nduga as well as in Intan Jaya and in other areas start to fight against the West Papua Armed Criminal Group, because their families or teenagers are victims of the West Papua Armed Criminal Group,” he continued.