Dozens dead in Papua New Guinea tribal violence

MELBOURNE, Australia — At least 26 people were killed in tribal fighting in the northern highlands of Papua New Guinea, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday, citing local police.

The men were killed in an ambush in Enga Province, Reuters reported, quoting Australia’s state broadcaster.

A report by local newspaper PostCourier said the violence took place on Sunday and was connected to a battle between two tribes.

Police initially reported that at least 53 people had died, before revising their number down to 26, the ABC said.

“These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,” George Kakas, a senior officer in the country’s police force, told the ABC.

“Police and defense forces have had to go in to do their best to quell the situation at their own risk.”

The Pacific nation is home to hundreds of tribes, many of which still live in inhospitable and remote terrain.

The ABC said the latest violence involved the same tribes that were responsible for clashes that killed 60 in Enga last year.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said he had “great concern” about the violence in Enga and urged the warring tribes to lay down their weapons.

“If there are community disputes, there are ways to deal with the community disputes,” Marape said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was ready to assist Papua New Guinea, its nearest neighbor.

“That is very disturbing the news that has come out of Papua New Guinea,” Albanese said before the death toll was revised down.

Enga Governor Peter Ipatas said there were warnings that tribal fighting was about to erupt.

“From a 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,” Ipatas said.

He described the violence as a “very, very sad occasion for us in the province and it’s a bad thing for the country”.

Post- Courier reported that highpowered firearms used in the recent fighting made it risky for the police to enter the battlefield.

Facing escalating tribal fighting, Enga Province was put into lockdown for several months in 2023.