Church leaders fear crisis as Indonesian troops fight separatists

Published: 2004-12-07

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (CNS) -- At least 5,000 people in Indonesia's West Papua province face hunger and starvation after fleeing a military offensive against separatists, church leaders in the region said. The ecumenical Christian Church Council in West Papua said in a late November statement that 15 people, including 13 children, already have died and many others were sick since the military offensive began Aug. 17 in Puncak Jaya. "They have been starving in the refugee camps," said the Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman, council chairman. Providing food and medical supplies to the refugees has been nearly impossible because the military has closed off the region to humanitarian aid workers, the statement said. The situation has grown so desperate that church leaders in West Papua are calling on the government to withdraw all combat troops from the region. They also are calling on the government and military to allow humanitarian aid workers to assist the needy, the statement said.

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