Five road construction workers were killed in an evening attack on their camp in Tolikara district, Highland Papua, according to the Indonesian Army. Security forces began an operation to pursue the assailants, but the supplied account did not report any arrests.
Colonel Tri Purwanto, an information officer for the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Regional Command, said the attack occurred in Woniki subdistrict while the workers were resting. Ten workers were at the camp, he said. The report did not explain what happened to the five who were not killed or provide a detailed sequence of the assault.
The victims worked for road contractor PT SHJ. Four were identified as Arman Sibarani, Erlin Aritonang, Alfons and Barengga. Authorities had not publicly identified the fifth person in the available report. Purwanto said four bodies had been evacuated while another remained at the site. Three were taken to Mulia Regional General Hospital in Puncak Jaya district and one to Karubaga.
The military described the attackers as armed separatists, using the government's official term of “armed criminal groups.” No organization was independently identified as responsible in the supplied evidence, and the report did not include a statement from any armed Papuan group. The military command condemned the killing of civilians engaged in infrastructure work.
Joint army and police personnel were deployed to search for the perpetrators and maintain security for local residents. Officials did not disclose the number of personnel involved, the area being searched or whether road construction had been suspended. The immediate official response therefore centered on evacuation, site security and a manhunt.
The source placed the killings within a pattern of attacks affecting civilians and transport in Papua. It said armed groups have used hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian forces and have also attacked construction workers, teachers, students, motorcycle-taxi drivers, food vendors and civilian aviation crews in several districts.
Two earlier incidents illustrated those risks. New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens was taken hostage after landing in Nduga in February 2023, and an armed group killed 16 illegal gold miners in Yahukimo in April 2025, according to the report. It also said American pilot Nicholas F. Goselin was fatally shot after landing in Balinggama, Yahukimo, on July 2, 2026.
Those earlier cases provide regional context but do not identify the Tolikara attackers. The established facts remained limited to five worker deaths at the Woniki camp, partial identification and evacuation of the victims, and an active joint security operation. Officials had not announced when the remaining body could be recovered.
