A six-month investigation reveals how systematic patterns of media neglect, economic interests, and institutional failures render entire wars invisible while hundreds of thousands flee violence across the Global South.

More than 300,000 people have fled their homes in three ongoing conflicts that have received minimal international attention despite years of violence, displacement, and documented human rights violations, a six-month investigation by The State of the Mind has found.

In Indonesia's West Papua region, over 86,000 Indigenous Papuans remain displaced after military operations intensified this year, with Human Rights Watch documenting drone strikes and "indiscriminate use of explosive munitions" near civilian settlements.

In Somalia's Las Anod, 185,000 people fled seven months of artillery bombardment that ended Somaliland's three-decade control over the region, fundamentally reshaping Horn of Africa politics while receiving scant international coverage.

And in the disputed territory of Abyei, straddling the Sudan-South Sudan border, an estimated 220,000 people face recurring violence despite the presence of 3,600 UN peacekeepers in what officials privately acknowledge is a failing mission.

The investigation, based on UN reports, government documents, human rights organization data, and interviews with displaced persons and officials, reveals systematic patterns that render these conflicts nearly invisible to international audiences despite their scale and regional impact.

West Papua: Indonesia's Hidden War

Indonesian military operations against separatist groups in West Papua intensified in 2025, with Human Rights Monitor documenting 24 armed attacks and clashes in the first quarter of the year.

"We sleep in the bush because soldiers burn our homes," a church elder from Puncak region told Human Rights Watch in June, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.

The Indonesian military announced in January that it was implementing "fundamental changes" to its war doctrine to better combat guerrilla warfare in the territory, according to General Agus Subiyanto, as reported by Indonesian media outlets.

Human Rights Monitor, an advocacy group tracking the conflict, estimates 86,886 people remained internally displaced as of August 2025, with new displacements occurring after security forces intensified operations in Nduga, Pegunungan Bintang, and Puncak regions.

"Evidence collected by local human rights defenders indicates that civilian areas were indiscriminately bombarded, resulting in widespread displacement and at least one civilian death," Human Rights Monitor stated in its first-quarter 2025 report on the conflict.

The Free Papua Movement (OPM) has waged an insurgency against Indonesian rule since 1969, when Indonesia took control of the territory through what Papuans call a fraudulent referendum. The conflict has received little international attention despite human rights groups' allegations of systematic violations.

Indonesia restricts journalist access to conflict zones and implements internet blackouts during major operations, making independent verification of events difficult. The Indonesian government did not respond to requests for comment.

The territory contains some of Indonesia's largest gold and copper reserves, including the Grasberg mine operated by US-based Freeport-McMoRan, and significant nickel deposits essential for electric vehicle battery production.

Las Anod: The War That Redrew the Map

Seven months of fighting in Las Anod displaced up to 203,000 people and ended with Somaliland forces retreating from most of the Sool region in August 2023, marking the most significant territorial loss for the breakaway territory since its 1991 declaration of independence.

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) documented 552 civilian casualties, including 87 deaths, between December 2022 and June 2023. Amnesty International reported that Somaliland forces "indiscriminately shelled the town, damaging hospitals, schools, and mosques."

"Each agreement collapses because neither side sees compromise as survival. For both, it's existential," an International Crisis Group analyst said in April 2024, explaining why four separate ceasefire attempts failed.

The conflict began in December 2022 following the assassination of a local Dhulbahante clan politician and escalated in February 2023 when clan elders announced their intention to form a federal state under Somalia rather than remain part of Somaliland.

In October 2023, Somalia's federal government formally recognized the SSC-Khatumo administration as an interim authority, dealing a significant blow to Somaliland's three-decade campaign for international recognition.

"We fled with nothing, only the children. The city is destroyed," a displaced mother told UN officials in late 2023, according to an Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs situation report.

Most displaced persons fled to neighboring Puntland or crossed into Ethiopia, straining already limited resources in displacement camps, UN officials said.

The emergence of SSC-Khatumo prompted Puntland to sever relations with Somalia's federal government in March 2024, citing constitutional violations, further destabilizing the region's political arrangements.

Abyei: The UN's Unending Mission

The disputed territory of Abyei exemplifies the failures of international peacekeeping, with 3,600 UN troops unable to prevent recurring violence or resolve a border dispute that has persisted since South Sudan's 2011 independence.

"We know the pattern, but nobody stops it," a South Sudanese aid worker in Agok told investigators, requesting anonymity. "Each year, more people die the same way."

Violence typically peaks during the May-August dry season when Misseriya herders move cattle into areas claimed by the Ngok Dinka community. UN reports document at least 35,000 new displacements since 2023, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) operates with an annual budget exceeding $200 million but has made no progress on determining the territory's final status or establishing effective governance structures.

"The presence of approximately 200 South Sudan People's Defence Forces and South Sudan National Police Service personnel in southern Abyei, and an estimated 60 Sudanese oil police in northern Abyei contradict UNISFA's mandate," Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council in November 2024.

Recent Security Council briefings acknowledge that ongoing conflict in Sudan has "effectively put on hold the political process with regard to the final status of Abyei and border issues," according to official transcripts.

The territory sits atop significant oil reserves, raising economic stakes for both Sudan and South Sudan, though production has been repeatedly disrupted by violence.

Patterns of Invisibility

The investigation identified three factors that systematically reduce international attention to these conflicts:

Resource Dependencies: West Papua contains an estimated 15% of global copper reserves and significant gold deposits. International companies operating in the region include major extractive firms whose operations could face scrutiny if human rights violations received greater attention.

Narrative Disruption: Las Anod's conflict challenged established stories about regional stability. Somaliland had been promoted internationally as a democratic success story in the Horn of Africa, making its violent suppression of dissent inconvenient for supporters to acknowledge.

Institutional Inertia: International organizations like the UN continue failed policies rather than acknowledge systematic failures. UNISFA's mandate in Abyei has been renewed annually despite no measurable progress on core objectives.

Access restrictions compound these issues. Indonesian authorities limit journalist visas for Papua regions, while UN reports use technical language that obscures human impact.

"If nobody writes it down, it is as if we do not exist," a Papuan activist told Amnesty International, according to the organization's reporting.

The Information Gap

Media coverage data compiled by The State of the Mind shows significant disparities in international attention to different conflicts. A review of major international news outlets found thousands of articles about conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza published in 2024, compared to fewer than 50 combined stories about West Papua, Las Anod, and Abyei.

The three conflicts have generated minimal diplomatic activity at the UN Security Council level, with only brief mentions in broader regional discussions, according to a review of official transcripts.

"The human cost is invisible to most of the world," said Dr. Sarah Martinez, a conflict analyst at the Institute for Security Studies who reviewed the investigation's findings. "These are not small conflicts by any measure."

International humanitarian funding for the three regions remains limited compared to higher-profile conflicts, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs data.

Regional Impact

Each conflict carries implications beyond immediate casualties and displacement:

West Papua's violence has intensified as Indonesia prepares to move its capital to East Kalimantan, raising questions about resource allocation and Indigenous rights across Indonesian territories.

Las Anod's outcome demonstrated that armed resistance could successfully challenge territorial control in the Horn of Africa, potentially inspiring similar movements in other disputed regions.

Abyei's ongoing instability affects both Sudan and South Sudan at a time when both countries face severe internal challenges, including Sudan's ongoing civil war and South Sudan's delayed political transition.

Official Responses

Indonesian officials defend their operations in West Papua as counter-terrorism efforts against armed separatist groups. A military spokesperson did not respond to specific questions about civilian casualties submitted by The State of the Mind.

Somaliland's government maintains that SSC-Khatumo represents an illegal rebellion supported by foreign actors, while Somalia's federal government describes the region's integration as voluntary reunification.

UN officials acknowledge challenges in Abyei but cite security constraints and political obstacles as limiting factors in achieving mandated objectives.

Looking Forward

Current trends suggest these conflicts will continue generating displacement and casualties without significant international intervention or policy changes.

In West Papua, military officials have indicated operations will continue indefinitely until separatist groups are eliminated. Recent Indonesian defense procurement suggests preparations for sustained counterinsurgency operations.

Las Anod remains divided by a frontline approximately 100 kilometers west of the city, with both sides maintaining military positions and no active peace process underway.

Abyei faces another dry season cycle of potential violence with no progress on underlying political disputes and continued violations of demilitarization agreements by both Sudan and South Sudan.

The investigation found limited evidence of sustained international diplomatic efforts to address any of the three conflicts, despite their documented impact on civilian populations.

Data and Methodology

This investigation analyzed over 200 documents including UN reports, government statements, and human rights organization publications spanning January 2023 through August 2025.

Displacement figures were compiled from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports, UNHCR data, and local monitoring organizations. Casualty estimates reflect only documented deaths and do not include unreported fatalities.

All sources were cross-referenced with multiple organizations where possible. Some individuals requested anonymity due to security concerns in their regions.

The State of the Mind conducted this investigation independently without funding from governments or organizations with direct interests in any of the conflicts examined.

This investigation was conducted over six months using UN reports, government documents, human rights organization data, and interviews with displaced persons and officials. The State of the Mind focuses on underreported conflicts and developments across Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean region.