Transcript
According to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, the main rebel groups in restive Papua have always been fragmented.
But on Monday, chairperson Benny Wenda said the West Papua Army would bring them together under the Liberation Movement's leadership.
He added the new grouping, which includes the violent and embattled West Papua Liberation Army, is ready to "take over" their country.
The formation of the West Papua Army appears to also be an effort to placate concerns over the use of child soldiers by rebels.
An Australia-based spokeserspon, Jacob Rumbiak, says they will roll out changes including restricting combat to fighters 18 and older.
"We want to follow international law. We also must keep little boys in very clear position. We can train them but when operation as a military, we also must look at their age."
The new rules come after RNZ Pacific and the Associated Press reported the Liberation Army had several underage fighters in its ranks.
The rebel group has admitted to breaching international laws but argues child soldiers are a necessary measure in its war against Indonesia.
Jacob Rumbiak claims he himself fought for Papuan rebels from the ages of 11 to 16 but says international conventions must be followed.
Hipo Wangge, an Indonesian researcher working in Papua, says he doubts the Liberation Army has the organisation to follow orders.
"If they say that they will stop exploiting or recruiting the children, it will be good. But I don't know if it can be applied anytime soon given the nature of the Liberation Army is quite fragmented since the 1960s."
Responding to Monday's announcement, the Liberation Army has issued a statement disputing the Liberation Movement had any control over it.
It's unclear if it would comply with rules banning the use of child soldiers and a spokesperson didn't respond to requests for comment.
Still, forming the West Papua Army shows how Papuan rebel groups are leveraged to win international support for the independence cause.
The Liberation Movement spokesperson, Jacob Rumbiak, says the changes followed a request from Vanuatu.
"They want to military should disciplined in one command only so that it's easy for control our military. Pacific countires, including Vanuatu, they still stand on solving the problem by peaceful means but they want our military to get a clear command."
Jacob Rumbiak says the changes will take around 6 months to implement and will also include the creation of a gun register for the army.
This is Mackenzie Smith.