SUMMARY

OPM has not been a frequent perpetrator of frequent one-sided violence, according to the recorded events in the UCDP database, aside from a handful of killings between the years of 1996-2020. In 2021 however, there was a slight increase in killings, although the number did not exceed the threshold level of inclusion according to UCDP.

It is yet unclear why and in what context the violence began and increased. There have not been any statements by any members of the group about their motivation behind attacking civilians.

The most commonly used tactics used by OPM have either been attacking civilians through a shooting, or stabbing the victims.

All perpetrated violence has occurred in the Papua Barat (West Papua) region, which may have to do with the ongoing state based conflict that OPM is fighting against the government of Indonesia in the same region.

OPM first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2023, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in October that year, when rebels gunned down 16 civilians on three different occasions, adding up to over 25 deaths when combined with killings that occurred earlier in the year.