Attack and evacuation

On February 11, I suddenly receive a message from a MAF pilot in Papua asking about the best way to evacuate a group of teachers from the Korowai region. The very fact that I'm receiving this message is a sign that something terrible has happened.
I soon learn that an armed group of Papuan highlanders fired on a plane at the Danowage airport and then shot and killed the two pilots (non Papuan). Since most of the teachers at the Papua Hope School in Danowage are also non Papuan, they've fled through the jungle to another village.

MAF wants to fly them out, but to ensure the safety of the teachers, the MAF pilot, and the aircraft as much as possible, they first gather as much information as they can about the local situation. That’s why they contact me. I'm glad I can help MAF develop an evacuation plan, and the next day the Papua Hope teachers are flown out to town through a different airstrip.

The Korowai people flee into the forest, but the evangelists in Danowage help the Papua Hope teachers to flee, inform the government and police about the situation, and help to recover and guard the pilots’ bodies. Meanwhile, the terrorist group has already vanished into the jungle.
The next day, the police fly from Boven Digoel to Danowage to retrieve the pilots’ bodies. Some of evangelists are also taken along, as witnesses. For a while they are suspected of being complicit in the attack and are held for questioning, but after some investigation they are released again.

In the meantime, Indonesian government officials in the wider Korowai region have fled, including all the nurses and teachers. And all the airports in the region are closed, leaving the area logistically isolated.
Now, more than a month later, the airports are open again and people are starting to resume their normal lives. The major change is that there is now a police presence in all villages with an airport, to prevent something like this from happening again.
Our hearts go out to the families of the innocent victims; we are grateful that none of our friends were harmed; we pray that the perpetrators will be apprehended and face justice; and we continue to pray for a just and peaceful future for Papua.