Two of four people injured have died, according to unconfirmed reports on social media
May 18, 2026
This image shows two of the four injured in the aerial bombing on the St. Paulus Nabuni Catholic Church in Mbamogo village in Intan Jaya Regency, in Indonesia’s Central Papua Province, on May 17. (Photo: X)
By Jacobus E. Lato
At least two civilians were feared dead and two others injured after an aerial bombing at a Catholic church compound in Indonesia’s Central Papua province triggered panic among parishioners.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on May 17 when the parishioners were gathered in the courtyard of the St. Paulus Nabuni Catholic Church in Mbamogo village in Intan Jaya Regency.
“We had just finished Mass, and suddenly, an object fell from the air and then exploded. The shrapnel hit several people,” said an eyewitness who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Four people received serious injuries and were identified as Petrus Pogau, Robert Nabelau, Pius Pogau, and Piter Nabelau.
They were provided with first aid at the church, which is attached to the St. Misael Bilogai parish under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Timika.
“We could only take two victims to the hospital yesterday. We plan to take two more victims to the hospital today,” Father Yanuarius Yance Yogi, the parish priest at Bilogai, said on May 18.
The priest whose parish serves as a hub for the local Catholic community in the central highlands of Papua said drones are frequently seen flying over the area.
“But we could not confirm whether the flying devices were used for the attack,” Yance Yogi told UCA News.
He described the incident as “extremely frightening,” while adding that “people could die anytime and anywhere.”
Village leaders reportedly held an emergency meeting to express concern over the congregation’s safety and called for a transparent investigation to prevent rumors from escalating tensions.
Reports circulating on social media said two of the injured had died and alleged that the Indonesian military had carried out the bombing.
There was no independent confirmation of this information, nor any official statement from the military regarding its alleged involvement or use of drones in the incident.
However, there have been recent reports about the use of drones in conflict zones in Papua.
On April 5 last year, the BBC reported that Indonesian Military (TNI) drones attacked members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua.
Drones were used to drop grenades, but they apparently exploded before reaching their targets, the report said.
Another drone attack killed one civilian and injured another in Jalan Gunung, Dekai City, in Yahukimo Regency on Nov. 25 last year, local media reports said.
The last drone bombing was reported at the Central Secretariat of the West Papua National Committee on March 16.
Agus Kossay, the chairman of the West Papua National Committee, was quoted by the website suarapapua.com as saying that the repeated attacks, with increasingly sophisticated methods, indicated the involvement of a specific, organized group.
“This series of attacks, ranging from the use of homemade bombs and drones to intimidate journalists and human rights activists, constitutes a form of open terror that threatens press freedom and democratic space in Papua,” he said.—ucanews.com