Photo: presented
Ten people have been killed in ethnic clashes in Papua New Guinea’s Enga province.
National According to the newspaper, Regional Police Chief Inspector George Kakas said the fighting between the Mupapalu and Neni clans was sparked by a land dispute last week.
“The tribal war worsened after the Sikin, Kaikin and other nearby tribes, all from the same tribe, attacked the Neni tribe in an attempt to take their land in favor of the Mupapalu tribe.”
“So far 10 people have been killed, only four have been accounted for, which means four bodies have been brought to the police, the remaining 6 are yet to be found.”
He also said that many people are injured and are in the hospital.
Kakas District Executive Council has declared Wapenamanda in Enga a “war zone”.
“The situation is under control, we have two Papua New Guinean Defense Force soldiers from Delta Company and the Police Mobile Squad units 11 and 12, they are all on the ground.
“The security forces are conducting a survey in the area and they are stationed among the warring tribes and they are talking and negotiating with the community to get certain groups to lay down their weapons.”
Kakas said that the declaration of a combat zone would give the security forces the authority to carry out raids and arrests without formal complaints or court warrants, and that both the police and the armed forces would be arresting suspected attackers.
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