Revealed! KKB Papua Often Uses Local Residents as Shields
Papua – The Papuan Armed Criminal Group or KKB Papua is a group involved in acts of violence and crime in the Papua region, Indonesia. The Indonesian government categorizes them as a separatist group whose aim is to separate Papua from Indonesia.
Since 2021, KKB Papua has been designated as a terrorist group. Terror activities carried out by the KKB include the use of violence, firearms, as well as acts of destruction and murder.
The acts of violence carried out by the Papuan KKB have caused fear and insecurity among the local population. They often carry out attacks on military posts, government offices and public infrastructure such as bridges and roads.
Apart from that, this group also often takes civilians and foreign workers hostage who work in Papua. The victims of this KKB violence did not only come from the military and police, but also civilians, including women and children.
As reported on the area.sindonews.com page regarding 3 reasons why the Papuan KKB is difficult to eradicate, the KKB is known to often disguise itself as local residents,
Head of the National Police’s Public Information Bureau (Karopenmas), Brigadier General Rusdi Hartono (now Jambi Regional Police Chief Inspector General Rusdi Hartono), revealed that many KKB members disguised themselves as local residents in the Papua region.
This group blends into society so it is difficult to distinguish them. According to Rusdi, one of the strategies used by the KKB to avoid detection by security forces was to disguise themselves as local residents. They dress like ordinary residents, live in people’s houses, and interact daily with local residents.
“These groups often enter residential areas. Disguise themselves with the residents, disguise themselves,” said Rusdi. This makes security forces face a big challenge in distinguishing who are truly local residents and who are members of the KKB.
Apart from that, KKB members are suspected of often taking advantage of kinship relationships and local customs to gain protection and support from parts of the community. They use social networks and local culture to hide and avoid capture. Therefore, the government and security forces continue to strive to increase awareness and cooperation with local communities to detect and counter KKB actions.
The Indonesian government together with the security forces continues to try to overcome the threat from the KKB. One of the steps taken is to increase patrols and operations in areas considered to be KKB bases. Apart from that, the government is also trying to break the logistics and weapons supply chain used by the KKB.
Not only that, the government is also trying to embrace the Papuan people with various development and welfare programs. The aim is to reduce dissatisfaction and tension which is often exploited by the KKB to recruit new members and gain support. These programs include infrastructure, education, health and economic development.