Warring tribes sign ceasefire in PNG

PORT MORESBY: Warring tribes in Papua New Guinea negotiated a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, agreeing to halt a spiralling series of revenge killings in the country’s remote highlands.

Years of tit-for-tat fighting in Papua New Guinea’s central Enga province has escalated in recent months, with as many as 64 tribesmen killed during a single grisly ambush in February.

Two feuding factions – known as the Yopo Alliance and the Palinau Alliance – met in the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday to hammer out a three-month ceasefire.

The agreement, obtained by AFP, said the running clashes had resulted in “the displacement of thousands of people” leading to a “humanitarian crisis”.

“Both fighting factions agree to lay down arms and cease and desist from all forms of hostile engagements,” read the agreement, signed by tribal leaders and police.

The pact acknowledged “the many lives that have been lost on both sides” and “the massive destruction of homes, livelihoods, land and property”.

Highland clans have fought each other in Papua New Guinea for centuries, but an influx of mercenaries and automatic weapons has inflamed the cycle of violence. Prime Minister James Marape has pledged to clamp down on growing “lawlessness” in the country’s interior, as the stretched police force has called for help to stem the bloodshed.

Papua New Guinea’s government has in the past tried suppression, mediation, gun amnesties and a range of other strategies to stem the violence, with little success.

The country’s population has more than doubled since 1980, placing increasing strain on land and resources, and stoking deepening tribal rivalries.