On 26 July 2026, Indonesian military personnel reportedly entered the compound of the St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish Church in Titigi Village, Sugapa District, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province, while parishioners were attending Sunday Mass. The unexpected presence of armed personnel caused fear and panic among the congregation. Many parishioners reportedly left the service because they felt unsecure as many indigenous Papuans in Intan Jaya and other conflict-affected regencies suffer trauma linked to security force violence. No physical injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Military personnel reportedly entered the church grounds at approximately 10.50 am, disrupting the congregation's sense of security during worship. The precise number of personnel, their unit, the purpose of their presence and whether they entered the church building itself remain unclear. A short video (see video below, source: independent HRD), which Human Rights Monitor (HRM) received in relation to the incident, shows seven armed military officers standing in midst a crowd of worried worshippers. At the time of publication, the Indonesian military has not publicly responded to the allegation.
The reported incident occurred amid an intensified military operation and repeated armed violence affecting Catholic communities in Intan Jaya Regency. On 29 June 2026, a vehicle carrying a priest, nuns, parishioners and workers reportedly came under fire while travelling towards Titigi. Several bullets penetrated the vehicle belonging to the Bilogai Parish rectory, injuring one passenger. Another alleged drone attack near the St Paul Catholic Church in Nabuni Village on 17 May 2026, killed Mr Luther Nabelau, while four other residents were injured. One of the injured persons reportedly later died in hospital.
Human rights analysis
The entry of armed personnel into a church compound during Mass, unless strictly required by an immediate and demonstrable security threat, risks interfering with the rights to freedom of religion, personal security and peaceful assembly. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 28E of the Indonesian Constitution protect the freedom to practise religion individually or collectively. Security operations must comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and precaution, particularly where they affect places of worship and civilians already exposed to prolonged armed violence.
HRM urges the Indonesian military to clarify which unit entered the church compound, the purpose of the deployment and whether the operation had been coordinated with parish representatives. The authorities should ensure that churches, schools, health facilities and other civilian sites are not used for military purposes or subjected to unnecessary armed presence.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-108-2026
Location: 739V+FHP, Pugisiga, Agisiga, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua 98971, Indonesia (-3.7312803, 137.0939657) St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish Church in Titigi Village
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Intan Jaya > Sugapa
Total number of victims: dozens
1. Dozens, mixed unknown Indigenous Peoples freedom of religion
Period of incident: 26/07/2026-26/07/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples