Papua- Egianus Kogoya, the leader of the Nduga Armed Criminal Group (KKB) who has held Susi Air Pilot, Philip Mark Mehrtens, hostage since February 7, 2023 in Paro District, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains, finally released the hostage on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
This release occurred after Egianus realized that Papua would never achieve independence even though efforts to detain the pilot had been made.
This release surprised various parties, including the KKB spokesman, Sebby Sambom, who previously submitted a proposal to release the pilot.
Sebby Sambom, who claimed to have coordinated with Egianus, admitted that he was surprised by this sudden decision, because the negotiations he was carrying out had not been completed.
According to Egianus Kogoya, the initial goal of holding Pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens hostage was to force the Indonesian government to recognize Papua’s independence. However, as time went by, Egianus realized that this detention would not change the political situation in Papua. He accused Sebby Sambom, the KKB spokesman, and his group of spreading lies about the Papuan independence struggle.
Egianus also criticized Sebby Sambom, who is a citizen of Papua New Guinea (PNG), because he was considered to have no right to speak about the future of Papua.
In addition, Egianus accused figures such as Benny Wenda from the ULMWP and Jeffrey Bomanak from the KKB, as well as other small political groups such as the KNPB, the Papuan People’s Petition, and the Papuan Student Alliance, as parties who exploited the Papuan struggle for personal interests abroad and at home
