Indigenous Papuans expel alleged palm oil envoy as resistance grows against Indonesia’s biofuel push

An Indigenous community in Indonesia’s Papua region has expelled a man claiming to represent a palm oil company, underscoring growing grassroots resistance to plantation expansion as the central government pushes ahead with plans to turn Papua into a key hub for biofuel production.

The incident took place on Monday, 19 January 2026, in Moisegen District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, where members of the Klagilit Maburu Indigenous Community forced an individual identified as Algius out of a resident’s home.

According to community leaders, the man was attempting to persuade Indigenous landholders to surrender their customary forest for conversion into an oil palm plantation by PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ).

The expulsion was reported by Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), Indonesia’s largest Indigenous peoples’ organisation, which has been monitoring escalating land disputes across Papua.

‘We warned him not to divide our people’

Ambrosius Klagilit, a leader of the Klagilit Maburu Indigenous Community, said the decision to expel the company’s alleged envoy followed repeated attempts to approach community members and sow division within the clan.

He said he had previously confronted the same individual in December 2025 in Klasari village, warning him not to interfere in Indigenous land affairs.

“I once warned that man not to seize our customary forest by inciting the Indigenous community, because that would destroy the harmony among Indigenous people that has existed for a long time,” Ambrosius said when contacted by AMAN.

Despite these warnings, Ambrosius said envoys linked to PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera continued to approach members of the Klagilit clan with promises of material benefits.

According to Ambrosius, the offers included modern housing, vehicles, access to education and healthcare, and compensation of around Rp 2 billion (approximately US$120,000).

“All of this is merely their tactic to take control of our customary forest,” he said.

As of publication, PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera has not issued a public response to the allegations.

‘The forest is our mother’

Community leaders say their rejection of oil palm development is rooted in cultural survival rather than financial considerations.

For Indigenous Papuans, customary forests are not simply economic assets but the foundation of identity, spirituality and livelihood.

“Oil palm is not an ancestral legacy,” Ambrosius said. “For Indigenous Papuans, oil palm will only leave blood and tears for our children, grandchildren and future generations.”

He stressed that the forest provides food, medicine, cultural education and social cohesion, warning that its loss would sever Indigenous peoples from their ancestral roots.

“For us, the forest is our mother, the place where our children and grandchildren live,” he said, calling on local governments and state authorities to intervene and prevent land grabbing disguised as investment.

Research supports Indigenous resistance

Margi Kurniawan, a researcher who has conducted long-term studies among the Moi people in Sorong, said the stance taken by the Klagilit Maburu community reflects a broader Indigenous worldview.

He explained that customary forests function as integrated spaces for education, subsistence, ritual life and governance.

“On this basis, it is entirely reasonable that the Klagilit Maburu Indigenous Community rejects the presence of palm oil companies on their customary land,” Margi said.

A national policy backdrop

The confrontation comes against the backdrop of a major policy push by President Prabowo Subianto, who has publicly called for large-scale expansion of oil palm cultivation in Papua as part of Indonesia’s drive for energy self-sufficiency.

Speaking at the State Palace in Jakarta on 16 December 2025, Prabowo said Papua should be prioritised for palm oil plantations to produce biofuels, alongside ethanol derived from sugarcane and cassava. He framed the plan as a strategy to cut fuel imports, reduce subsidies and save up to Rp 520 trillion (around U$31.2 million) annually.

Papua, he said, could become a centre of national energy independence within five years.

Environmental and human rights warnings

Environmental and Indigenous rights groups warn that the policy risks accelerating deforestation and violating constitutionally protected Indigenous rights.

A 2024 study by the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation found that the environmental and social costs of palm oil expansion in Papua far outweigh its economic benefits. Using a cost-benefit ratio of 5.48, the study estimated economic gains of about Rp17.64 trillion (US$1.6 million), compared with environmental damage valued at Rp96.63 trillion (US$5.8 million).

The research also found that 58 palm oil companies currently hold licences covering around 1.57 million hectares across Papua, contributing to agrarian conflicts and food insecurity. Thirty of Papua’s 42 districts were identified as food insecure, including areas with active plantations.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment, WALHI, has issued similar warnings, arguing that monoculture plantations threaten biodiversity, traditional food systems and Indigenous land tenure.

“Papua is not empty land,” said Maikel Peuki, Executive Director of WALHI Papua. “Indigenous peoples are the rightful owners of the land and forests of Papua. We reject deforestation and development that destroys customary forests.”

Legal and constitutional concerns

A coalition of Papuan legal aid and human rights organisations has gone further, warning that forced plantation expansion could amount to gross human rights violations.

In a statement issued in December, the coalition argued that large-scale plantation policies violate Indonesia’s constitution, including provisions recognising customary law communities and guaranteeing Indigenous cultural rights.

It also cited Papua’s Special Autonomy Law, which obliges authorities to protect customary land (hak ulayat) and secure free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous communities.

The coalition warned that converting customary land into state-controlled plantation zones could strip Indigenous Papuans of their rights to land, culture and self-determination.

Local resistance amid national pressure

For AMAN, the expulsion of the alleged company envoy in Moisegen is emblematic of a wider struggle playing out across Papua, where Indigenous communities are increasingly confronting corporate interests backed by national development agendas.

As debates over energy security and economic growth intensify in Jakarta, Indigenous leaders in Papua say they are being forced to defend their land village by village.

“The forest has kept us alive for generations,” Ambrosius said. “We will not trade it away, no matter how big the promises are.”