Two tourists were shot during the Baliem Valley Festival in West Papua on August 8, bringing the region’s biggest cultural festival to an early end and prompting a security operation in the surrounding area.
The shooting took place near the entrance to the festival in Walesi, Jayawijaya Regency, in Highland Papua. Both tourists were wounded and taken to Wamena for medical treatment. The festival was subsequently suspended while Indonesian security forces secured the area.
The Baliem Valley Festival is the most important cultural festival in the Papua Highlands and attracts visitors from across Indonesia as well as international tourists. The event features traditional dancing, mock warfare, music and other cultural performances involving Indigenous communities from across the Baliem Valley. It has become one of the main tourism events in the region and is an important source of international exposure for the highlands.
Indonesian authorities have blamed the shooting on the Kodap III Ndugama Derakma faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB. The group operates in the mountainous interior of the Papua Highlands and is associated with commander Egianus Kogeya.
Indonesian authorities have alleged that members of the group opened fire in the area of the festival. Responsibility has not been independently verified, however. Reporting from West Papua can be difficult because access to some areas is restricted and accounts of incidents involving Indonesian security forces and Papuan armed groups frequently differ.
The Ndugama faction is one of several armed groups involved in the wider West Papuan independence conflict. It attracted international attention following the 2023 kidnapping of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens, who was held for more than a year before being released in September 2024. The group has subsequently been involved in further armed incidents in the highlands.
The shooting also followed demonstrations by West Papuan independence supporters in the days before the festival. The Komite Nasional Papua Barat, or KNPB, held demonstrations calling for self-determination and protesting against Indonesian rule and the presence of Indonesian security forces. The KNPB is a political organisation rather than an armed group, and there is currently no evidence directly connecting the demonstrations to the shooting.
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Deteriorating Security
The wider security situation in the Papua Highlands has deteriorated considerably in recent years, with increasing armed attacks, military operations and displacement. Foreign tourists are rarely the specific targets of the conflict, but the deteriorating situation means that visitors can nevertheless become caught up in incidents.
The escalation has also affected foreign nationals. In July 2026, American pilot Nicholas Goselin was killed after landing at a remote airstrip in the Papua Highlands. The TPNPB claimed responsibility, while Indonesian authorities described the flight as a civilian operation. Seven Indigenous Papuan passengers survived the attack.
In August, five construction workers were also killed in Tolikara. The TPNPB claimed the men were Indonesian military intelligence personnel operating undercover, while Indonesian authorities said they were construction workers. The competing accounts have again made independent verification difficult.
Background to the Conflict
The current conflict has its origins in the dispute over Western New Guinea following the end of Dutch colonial rule. Indonesia took control of the territory following the 1962 New York Agreement. In 1969, Indonesia organised the Act of Free Choice, in which 1,025 selected representatives voted unanimously for integration with Indonesia.
The United Nations accepted the result and Indonesia has subsequently regarded the sovereignty question as settled. West Papuan independence supporters dispute the legitimacy of the process and argue that the wider population was not given a genuine opportunity to vote. This has led Papuans to colloquially call it the “Act of No Choice”.
The disagreement has continued for more than five decades, producing political demonstrations, armed attacks and Indonesian military operations. Human rights organisations have documented abuses by Indonesian security forces, while Papuan armed groups have also carried out attacks against soldiers, police, workers and civilians. The conflict has resulted in significant displacement, particularly in remote areas of the highlands.
What will the Shooting at the Baliem Festival mean for tourism?
Previously tourists have largely been left out of the independence struggle, with this shooting marking a potentially worrying escalation in the conflict. In reality though West Papua still remains a largely safe destination for tourists, so long as security protocol is followed.
For us at least this means constantly liaising with our local partners, listing to external advice and where necessary changing tour routes – something we have previously had to do. As things stand we fully intent to continue running tours to West Papua, although as with all of our destinations it will remain subject to review. Click to see our West Papua Tours.
