Jayawijaya, June 5, 2025 — The humanitarian tragedy occurred again in the mountainous region of Papua. Two civilian workers from Purwakarta, West Java, Rahmat Hidayat (45) and Saepudin (39), tragically lost their lives while carrying out the noble task of building a house of worship in Kwantapo Village, Asotipo District, Jayawijaya Regency.
Both were shot by two unknown people suspected of being part of the armed group, on Wednesday morning (4/6). At that time, the victim was working to build the GKI Imanuel Church—a symbol of peace and unity of the people. But the irony happened, they actually became victims of inhumane violence.
The victim’s body was immediately evacuated by a joint team from the Jayawijaya Police and the Task Force Operation Peace Cartenz. The local government and security officers moved quickly, but this incident was a hard blow that preventive measures against the safety of civilian workers still had to be seriously improved.
Local community leaders expressed their deep concern over this incident. One of the local priests in Jayawijaya said that the construction of a house of worship should not be paid for with blood.
“The victim is not an armed force. They came to help. This is a wound for all parties, including the Papuan people themselves,” he said with a sad tone.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family in West Java has been given sad news and is waiting for the arrival of the body. A deep sense of loss enveloped the families and communities where the two victims live.
This tragedy becomes an urgent call for all parties—the government, security forces, and civil society—to be more serious about ensuring the protection of workers assigned to areas with a history of conflict. In addition, there needs to be a review of labor placement procedures and risk mitigation strategies, so that similar events do not happen again.
The development of Papua must continue, but it must no longer sacrifice the lives of unarmed workers who come with the intention of building, not going to war.
