How Indonesian village aid funds weapons for Papua's rebellion

FILE PHOTO: A man who is identified as Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who is said to be held hostage by a pro-independence group, sits among separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region in this undated handout picture released on May 26, 2023. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB)/Handout via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Separatists in the Indonesian region of Papua where a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage in February have been siphoning off government aid money to buy black market guns for a deadly guerrilla war, officials say.

The "Dana Desa" village fund introduced by President Joko Widodo in 2015 and valued at $4.7 billion this year has long been criticised as prone to corruption. Nowhere is the oversight of the scheme more challenging than in Papua's remote highlands.