Enarotali is considered to be the only colonial city founded by the Dutch in the interior of New Guinea before World War II.

In order to assert Dutch control over the area, a Christian mission and a radio-equipped government post were established there in May 1938.

The Dutch maintained a small force there under code-named Operation Oaktree, made up of Papuan natives led by Jean Victor de Bruijn, harassing Japanese troops based on the coast at Timoeka near Kaukenau, where the Japanese had established an airfield in December 1942.

[2][3] At the end of the war in late 1945, Dutch colonial administration control was restored over the area, until it was transferred to Indonesia in May 1963 along with the rest of Western New Guinea.

[4] On 8 December 2014 the Indonesian army would open fire on a crowd of around 1,000 people protesting the severe beating of a group of young teens earlier that day, killing five and injuring 17.