At Least 64 Killed In Papua New Guinea's Tribal Violence Outbreak (image@pixabay)
At least 64 people was killed in the outbreak of tribal violence in the remote Highlands region of Papua New Guinea. The violence between two tribal group and their allies started on Sunday in Enga province’s Wapenamanda district. Police described the incident as the “largest” escalation of violence the region has seen. Police said the conflict still ongoing between Ambulin tribes and their allies and Skikin tribes and their allies.
Bodies of 64 people were found from the roadside, grasslands, and hills. More bodies are expected to be still in the bushes, said Post Courier newspaper. Senior police officer, George Kakas said, “this is by far the largest (killing) I have seen in Enga, may be in all of Highland as well”, as quoted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Videos and photos showed images of the dead bodies lying on the side of the road and piled up on the truck. “These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush”, Kakas told ABC. Police said the tribals were using “high-powered guns”, like AK47, M16 and M4 rifles. Some of the weapons also had homemade forearms.
Governor of the region, Peter Ipatas said that there had been warning about the tribal violence. Speaking to ABC, he said, “from provincial perspective, we knew this fight was going to be on and we (alerted) the security forces last week to make sure they took appropriate action to ensure this didn’t occur”.
Opposition party members demanded Prime Minister James Marape’s administration to take immediate action and deploy additional troops in the area prone to conflict. In a statement, the opposition party said, “we call on the government to immediately establish where the guns and bullets are coming from to fuel this senseless violence”, as quoted by Post Courier.
Talking on the issue, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced readiness to assist Papua New Guinea, as it is one of Australia’s nearest neighbours and the largest recipient of Australian foreign aid.
Tribal violence escalated in the Enga region after the 2022 elections, in which Marape maintained power. Elections in Papua New Guinea have been marred by allegations of cheating and procedural irregularities historically, and often ended in widespread violence across the country. Home to 800 distinct ethnic group, Papua Guinea has long history of clashes among tribal groups, over issues ranging from historical animosities to land and wealth.
