West Papua’s Resources: Pillaged for Oligarchs, Ignored by the World

The rapacious exploitation of West Papua’s natural riches is accelerating with reckless abandon.

On May 30, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, affectionately known as Jokowi, generously extended the Special Mining Business License to PT Freeport Indonesia—an American behemoth happily siphoning off one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines—until the very last ounce is sucked dry. As if that wasn’t enough, Jokowi also handed the reins of the mining sector to Islamic organizations. Because, why not mix resource plundering with religious patronage?

These moves are less about “development” and more about setting the stage for fresh agrarian conflicts with indigenous Papuans, whose land and livelihoods are casually sacrificed on the altar of profit and political favoritism. West Papua, forcibly annexed decades ago, remains a paradise for extraction, a dystopia for its rightful owners.

With Jokowi’s term ending this October, he’s clearly paving the highway for his successors to cash in on West Papua’s treasures—never mind the human cost. The so-called “Golden Indonesian Dream” is nothing but a blood-soaked fantasy, built on the broken backs and suffering of the Papuan people.

Markus Haluk of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua doesn’t mince words: “We oppose the systematic looting of our land’s wealth. Curse those who hand it over to the criminal oligarchs.” Harsh, but deserved.

Meanwhile, while protests bubble up in urban centers, the real fight rages in the jungle. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has stepped up guerrilla attacks against Indonesian forces guarding the new mining concessions. It’s no longer just a struggle for freedom—it’s a desperate bid to save what remains of a ravaged environment.

So here’s a wake-up call for the world: West Papua’s battle is not some distant separatist squabble. It’s a front line in the global fight against environmental destruction — orchestrated by an avaricious state and its cronies, indifferent to justice, indigenous rights, or even basic humanity.