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Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and the Indonesian authorities have been common since, with pro-independence fighters mounting more frequent attacks since 2018.

Papuan rebels have been seeking independence from Indonesia for decades, and have previously issued threats and attacked aircraft which they believe are carrying personnel and supplies for Jakarta, the country's capital.

The watershed is also one of the oldest continually inhabited homes for different groups of Indigenous Papuans.

Indigenous Papuans suffer poverty, sickness and are more likely to die young than people elsewhere in Indonesia, multiple non-governmental organizations say.

These weapons were essential to the Indonesian dictator’s consolidation of military control in both East Timor and West Papua, and these occupations cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Timorese and Papuan civilians.