Baliem Valley campaign

Baliem Valley campaign
Part of Operation Cenderawasih
The view of Baliem Valley
LocationJayawijaya Regency, Irian Jaya, Indonesia
DateJuly 1977 – August 1978
TargetOPM members
Papuan civilians
Attack type
Bombings, mass killings, executions, enforced disappearances, torture, rape, looting and ecocide
Deaths4,146–26,000+ Peoples (including civilians and OPM soldiers)
Victims1,500–3,000+ displaced
Perpetrators Indonesian Armed Forces
MotiveCounterinsurgency and genocidal intent (alleged)

The Baliem Valley campaign or also known as the Central Highlands campaign and the Baliem Valley massacre was a series of aerial and ground attacks by the Indonesian Armed Forces and Air Force against the OPM during Operation Cenderawasih, from July 1977 to August 1978, in the Baliem Valley of Western New Guinea. During the campaign the Indonesian Army allegedly committed attacks on civilian targets, as well as allegedly deliberately damaging the ecosystem of the valley.