On 23 February 2023, a riot broke out in Sinakma, Wamena, Highland Papua when a crowd of Papuans attacked Indonesian security personnel following the arrest of two Batak merchants accused of child kidnapping. In the ensuing clash, a number of buildings were damaged, with twelve civilians and rioters killed including both merchants. Tens of security personnel and civilians were also injured. Background Tensions between Indonesian authorities and Papuan locals in the highland regions of Papua had been running high in early 2023, especially following the Nduga hostage crisis. The town of Wamena had previously saw large-scale rioting in 2019 where tens of civilians were killed, mostly non-Papuans. Indonesian authorities had accused armed groups affiliated with the separatist National Committee for West Papua of being behind the 2019 riot. A more immediate cause was the rise of child kidnapping rumors in social media all over Indonesia in early 2023, with a women accused of child kidnapping being burned alive by a mob in Sorong. She was later proven innocent. Course The riot occurred on 23 February 2023. According to local human rights activist Theo Hasegem, the riot broke out after a misunderstanding between two Batak merchants and a local Papuan child in the Sinakma Market resulted in the merchants being accused of kidnapping. Local community leader Gibson Kogoya remarked that the merchants had asked for the child to hop on a pickup truck he used as a kiosk when the child wanted to purchase items, but the child perceived this to be a kidnapping attempt and fled. Accounts from the Indonesian authorities noted that locals had halted the merchants and brought them to the police station, where the involved parties clarified the situation. This clarification did not happened in the police station as intended, but on the street near to the location where the alleged incident happened. While the merchants were in police custody, an angry crowd of Papuans gathered, at around 12:30 local time (05:30 UTC). Indonesian authorities claimed that a chain message accusing the police of protecting child kidnappers had spread through WhatsApp. When the crowd demanded that the police release the merchants for public questioning, the police refused. Tensions continued to rise and the merchant was evacuated in a riot control vehicle. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, security personnel utilized tear gas, batons and warning shots. The crowd became agitated and a number of shophouses belonging