Another Exclusive Interview with West Papua National Liberation Army Spokesman, Sebby Sambom

What follows is our researcher’s latest July 2026 interview with TPNPB spokesman, Sebby Sambom, conducted by Uday. The low-intensity insurgency between indigenous members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and the Indonesian government (along with its allies) has been simmering since 1963, when under an UN charter, the Indonesian government took administrative control of Western New Guinea. The conflict has lacked attention received by other insurgencies around the globe, despite its duration and impact upon both sides.

Hi Tuan [Mr. Sebby Sambom], thank you for answering these questions for Militant Wire. We have interviewed you, the spokesperson of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), twice before, both of which are posted at the bottom of this article:

Interview

· What would you say is the status of the conflict with Indonesia in West Papua today?

Sebby Sambom:

The current status of Papua is a state of emergency during a military operation by Indonesia government and a humanitarian emergency due to military operations by the colonial government of the Republic of Indonesia. And the current status of the armed conflict in Papua is a non-international armed conflict. And it has been recognized through the research results which were announced through an international seminar in May 2026.

· Recently this summer, an American civilian pilot, Nicholas F. Gosselin, landed in the West Papua highlands, where he was said to have been shot by TPNPB fighters, and his seven passengers aboard unaccounted for, with accusations that western civilian pilots have been ferrying Indonesian troops into the region. The Indonesian government says the aircraft was then burned. You said in your press releases that the killing of the US pilot recently was a message to the US, which was involved in Indonesia’s takeover of West Papua. Can you please tell us more about that?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, that’s right, and it’s an international conspiracy in which the United States of America’s government proactively supports Indonesia in annexing the sovereignty of the West New Guinea Netherlands Government into Indonesian territory starting from the New York Agreement of August 15, 1961 and the transfer of administration of the West New Guinea Netherlands Government on May 1, 1963. In this process, the United States of America pressured the Dutch government to hand over the Administration of the West New Guinea Netherlands Government to Indonesia, and [throughout] all of this process the American government violated the political rights of the Papuan Nation to be independent according to the UN Charter. Therefore, the United States government must be responsible for the suffering of the indigenous Papuans due to the illegal occupation of the Indonesians on the ancestral lands of the Papuan Nation, because the United States of American supplied weapons and trained the Indonesian Military and Police to kill Indigenous Papuans for last 64 years.

· What is the TPNPB’s general position on the United States, for our readers who are unfamiliar?

Sebby Sambom:

We do not hate American[s], but we have the right to demand [justice for] the crimes of America and Indonesia, which have taken away the political right of self-determination for us, the Papuan people, and also seized the ancestral lands of the Papuan people. So America must admit their mistakes and must recognize the independence of the Papuan people based on the Declaration of Independent of West Papua on December 1, 1961

· What would you say to western governments that interact and trade with Indonesia?

Sebby Sambom:

We do not have the right to limit the bilateral relations of Western governments with Indonesia, but we ask that Western governments do not forget the suffering of the indigenous Papuans and also do not forget the political right of self-determination for us, the Papuan people, because the Europeans and Americans who came to Papua before the Indonesians carried out an illegal occupation of the ancestors of the Papuan people. And Western governments must also be [held] responsible for the suffering of the indigenous Papuans, because they supplied the Indonesian military logistics and equipment to kill the indigenous Papuans, and also the Australian and New Zealand governments must also be responsible for the suffering of the indigenous Papuans, because they also supplied the military logistics equipment and trained the Indonesian military and police to kill the indigenous Papuans for last 64 years.

· What are your thoughts on Grasberg, one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines, being operated by a US company and owned by the Indonesian government?

Sebby Sambom:

All of Papua’s natural resources, including the Grasberg Gold Mine and copper in Papua, do not belong to Indonesia, but to the indigenous Papuans. The Indonesian government and the Americans have been and continue stealing them or our [other] mineral resources. Therefore, we urge all parties to address this American and Indonesian crime, as the theft of the indigenous Papuans’ natural resources constitutes a crime and violates the rights of the Papuan people.

· You have called the Indonesian state “terrorists,” can you please explain more?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, because the Indonesian government is part of an international terrorist organization affiliated with Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah, Iran, and also ISIS. In this case, the Indonesian government is proactive in supporting funding for Middle Eastern terrorist groups. And this is no longer a public secret, we all know this. And the Indonesian military’s criminal actions against indigenous Papuans in Papua are exactly the same as international terrorist actions. Because the Indonesian military bombed church buildings in Papua, bombed civilian homes in Papua, killed civilians using bomb blasts, pregnant women were also shot dead, many small children died as a result of Indonesian military bomb attacks. And these criminal actions of the Indonesian military are not much different from international terrorism. And in fact, we have strong evidence and witnesses.

· You have said you profit from gold mining, which allows you to buy weapons from Indonesian soldiers and police. Can you please give some more details here?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, that’s right, we sell gold and buy weapons. This means we don’t have sponsors from other countries, so we work hard to obtain gold to buy weapons. In this case, TPNPB members go into the forest to pan for gold, then we sell the proceeds to buy weapons from Indonesian military members who need money. In this case, there’s no obligation. This means we need weapons and the Indonesian military needs money, so the matter is resolved on the street. I’ll send you a video of us selling gold, and you’ll understand.

· And what other businesses or funding help you support your cause?

Sebby Sambom:

We know how can we do.

· And can you tell us why you think Indonesian military and police sell weapons to the TPNPB?

Sebby Sambom:

They need money only, because their salary is very small amount.

· Further more, can you give us a rough percentage of the weapons your group possesses, which were captured from state security forces or others?

Sebby Sambom:

On this issue you will a [find] video of TPNPB troops [who have] seized weapons and brought to headquarters—it the was Egianus Kogeya group.

· Is Egianus Kogoya still a commander of the Nduga TPNPB? Can you tell us more about Nduga?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, Egianus Kogeya is still the Commander of TPNPB Ndugama Derakma, but for one year we [imposed] sanctions related to the mistaken release of the Kiwi pilot hostage. And now we [again] welcome TPNPB Ndugama Derakma to continue [the] fight against [the] Indonesian government military, after total evaluation and clarification of the mistake.

[The New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mark Mehrtens, was released on September 21, 2024].

· In a recent report, a journalistic publication said that there were approximately 100,000 police and military personnel in West Papua. The report also said there were about 1,500 TPNPB members. What are your comments on this?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, it’s true. 100k+ Indonesian government military and police personnel are in West Papua. And everywhere in Indonesian military checkpoints [exist], and on this situation indigenous people of Papua are not free and not safe. And we TPNPB not only [number] 1,500 personnel, but we have 30,000-70,000 personnel under the 36^th Defense Regional Commands. TPNPB [has not begun to officially] fight yet; I mean that our troops will joint in total revolutionary war after general declaration against Indonesian illegal military forces.

· What are your comments on the militarization of West Papua under President Prabowo Subianto? And can you tell us what you think about him, as he was controversially involved in West Papua military operations and the 1996 Mapenduma Hostage Crisis?

Sebby Sambom:

Militarization in West Papua under President Prabowo Subianto [is] good and we welcome [it], because through Prabowo’s mistakes Papua will [gain] independence, and Prabowo [inadvertently assists] West Papua’s struggle for independence by his idiot policy and his government program in West Papua.

· It does not seem like the western world is talking about what’s happening in West Papua seriously, if at all. Where do you see things heading? The killing of the American pilot has brought some attention to the West Papua conflict, just like the kidnapping of pilot Phillip Mehrtens. What do you think about this, and what do you think will get a more positive result?

Sebby Sambom:

We not [have] hope [in] western capitalists government(s), but we believe and fight for the fight [itself]. And one day we will gets independence; it’s our faith. We know how we will go fight, and we have our tactics and strategies to take Indonesian government to [the] negotiation table, and we show it t theo world by results. Time will tell.

· What is the TPNPB’s aims in 2026?

Sebby Sambom:

We’re still working on [this], and we will make decisions in 2027.

· Do you think violence in West Papua will increase?

Sebby Sambom:

Yes, and it will after we declare total revolutionary ar, for national liberation of West Papua. We [have not yet begun to fight].

· What would you like to tell our readers?

Sebby Sambom:

We hope [for] everyone’s support, because after independence we have everything here. Thank you.

Militant Wire researcher and analyst, Uday’s, previous write-up on and interview with Sebby Sambom of TPNPB can be found in the links below: