Thousands search shelter in church-run buildings in Indonesia’s Papua after boy shot useless

Church leaders in Indonesia’s conflict-wracked Papua area known as for calm Sunday as hundreds fled to shelters after a two-year-old boy was killed in a firefight between authorities troops and independence-seeking rebels.

The restive area on the easternmost fringe of the Southeast Asian archipelago has been the scene of intermittent clashes for many years in one of many world’s longest-running insurgencies.This week, a two-year-old boy was killed in an alternate of gunfire whereas a six-year-old was hospitalised for bullet wounds sustained within the midst of a firefight in Intan Jaya district, in line with authorities, who mentioned the rebels later tried to take management of the native airport.Police earlier blamed the guerrillas for the lethal capturing, however AFP couldn’t independently confirm accountability for the killing.ALSO READ: Fire breaks out at jail in Indonesia, kills 41 drug inmatesConflicting accounts are frequent in Papua, the place Indonesian safety forces have lengthy been dogged by allegations of gross rights abuses towards civilians.Fearing extra violence, about 2,000 Papuans have taken shelter in church-run buildings, mentioned Father Dominikus Hodo on the Catholic Diocese in conflict-hit Timika.”We’re calling on both warring parties to immediately hold a ceasefire and start a dialogue to bring about lasting peace,” Hodo informed reporters Sunday.Papua Police spokesman Faizal Ramadhani acknowledged the killing and that hundreds have fled the world, however added that the navy have been accountable for important public amenities.”The situation has been getting much better,” he informed AFP on Sunday.Rebel spokesman Sebby Sambom mentioned this week’s firefight was a respectable battle within the struggle for independence.ALSO READ: India condemns Myanmar violence, expresses concern at UNSC assembly”Our stance is very clear in defending the right of the Papuan people to establish a state guaranteed by international law,” he mentioned in a textual content message.”The war for the liberation of the Papuan nation will not stop until Papua is free.”A former Dutch colony, mineral-rich Papua declared itself unbiased in 1961, however neighbouring Indonesia took management two years later promising an independence referendum.The subsequent UN-backed vote in favour of staying a part of Indonesia was extensively thought of a sham, and set off years of battle.Papua’s principally Christian, Melanesian inhabitants shares few cultural connections with the remainder of Muslim-majority Indonesia.ALSO READ: ‘Everything is burnt’: Junta troops torch Myanmar village to quell anti-coup protests