TNI Hunts Suspects After Driver Aris Sanda Is Killed in Papua Highlands

Wamena — Indonesia’s military said it is searching for alleged members of the Free Papua Movement, or OPM, after driver Aris Sanda was found dead in Papua Highlands following an attack on the Wamena-Mbua route. The military identified the suspected attackers as part of OPM’s Kodap III Ndugama faction.

In a statement reported by several outlets, including RRI and Metro TV, Koops TNI Habema said Sanda, a driver from Toraja, South Sulawesi, was attacked on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, while transporting passengers from Wamena toward Mbua. The passengers were ordered back to Wamena, while Sanda was taken away and later found dead near the Lake Habema area, with his vehicle burned.

Authorities said the search began on Wednesday after an abduction report was received. Military personnel later found the burned vehicle and Sanda’s body, according to the reports. The cause of death has not been formally announced.

Separate reports said the Cartenz Peace Operations Task Force, a joint police-military unit, found a rifle cartridge at the scene and was checking whether the West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB, carried out the killing. The task force did not immediately issue a final conclusion on the case.

TPNPB claimed responsibility and said Sanda was a military intelligence agent operating in its area, while police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusuf Sutejo denied that allegation, according to reporting by The Jakarta Post and Tempo.

Renewed calls for dialogue

The killing came days after three civil servants from the Jayawijaya Agriculture Agency were killed in Muliama district, according to The Jakarta Post. In that case too, TPNPB claimed responsibility and accused the victims of being intelligence agents.

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai said isolated responses would not be enough to end the violence, and called for a broader response involving the executive, legislature and judiciary, according to The Jakarta Post. His remarks renewed attention on dialogue as a possible path to easing the conflict in Papua.

Authorities have not publicly established a single final account of the killing, but the available reporting is consistent that Sanda was killed in the Lake Habema area during an attack blamed by officials on OPM-linked fighters.

Confirmed details

• Victim: Aris Sanda, a driver from Toraja, South Sulawesi.
• Location: Lake Habema area, Papua Highlands.
• Date of incident: Sept. 15, 2026.
• Military attribution: OPM’s Kodap III Ndugama.

Sources

• RRI
• Metro TV
• The Jakarta Post
• Tempo English