From Nemangkawi to Damai-Cartenz: The Paradigm Shift of Polri’s Peacebuilding in Papua

This article analyzes how the Indonesian National Police (Polri) conceptualize and implement peacebuilding in the Papua conflict through the transition from Operation Nemangkawi to Operation Damai Cartenz and the subsequent design and partial implementation of Operation Rasaka Cartenz. It argues that although the discourse of humanist, non-traditional security approaches was formally adopted, particularly via the Binmas Noken community policing programs, peacebuilding largely remained at the narrative level and was not coherently translated into operational doctrine, institutional design, or evaluation parameters. Using Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory, field observations, and interviews, the study shows that the absence of a Papua-specific peacebuilding roadmap, the dominance of quantitative and militaristic success indicators under Chief of Indonesian Police Regulation No. 1 of 2019 on System, Management, and Operational Success Standards (Perkap No. 1/2019), fragmented and unsustained programs, weak synergy with local stakeholders, and insufficient attention to gender and local wisdom have collectively undermined long-term efforts to build trust, well-being, and sustainable peace for Papuans. The article concludes that effective police-led peacebuilding in Papua requires reorienting legal and institutional frameworks, success indicators, and program design toward inclusive, context-sensitive, and locally grounded notions of justice, recognition, and welfare.