The ULMWP is helping to lead the struggle to free West Papua, a former Dutch colony that was set to gain independence in the 1960s—until the Indonesian military invaded. Indonesia formalized its control over West Papua in 1969, when its military hand-picked about 1,000 West Papuans and compelled them into voting in favor of Indonesian annexation under a UN-supervised, but undemocratic, a process known as the Act of Free Choice. Since then, West Papua has remained under Indonesian control.
In 2014, a handful of campaigns and organizations that had long advocated for independence on their own came together to form the ULMWP, recognizing that they could be more effective united than apart. In the four years since its creation, the movement has gained international recognition and established itself as one of the leading players in the independence struggle.
Learn more and join the campaign here: https://www.ulmwp.org/
[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.]