The escalation of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea resulted in the massacre of at least 53 men. According to Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas, a tribe, their allies, and mercenaries were ambushed while en route to attack a neighbouring tribe in Enga province, located in the remote highlands of the South Pacific nation. Police anticipate discovering additional casualties among the wounded individuals who fled into the woods.
“These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,” Kakas told ABC. Bodies were collected from the battlefield, roads and the riverside, then loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital. Kakas said authorities were still counting “those who were shot, injured and ran off into the bushes.”
“We presume the numbers will go up to 60 or 65,” he added.
Kakas noted that it could potentially be the highest death toll from such violence in the highlands, where there are few roads and the majority of inhabitants are subsistence farmers. Police in the capital of Port Moresby did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for information on the massacre.
Papua New Guinea, a diverse and developing nation with a population of 10 million people and 800 languages, occupies a strategically significant position in the South Pacific. Internal security has posed a growing challenge for its government, particularly as countries like China, the United States, and Australia aim to strengthen security ties in the region. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed readiness to support Papua New Guinea, highlighting its status as Australia’s closest neighbour and the largest recipient of Australian foreign aid.
“That is very disturbing news coming out of Papua New Guinea,” expressed Albanese. “We stand ready to provide whatever support we can in a practical manner to assist our friends in PNG,” he added. Albanese highlighted that Australia was already offering “considerable support” to Papua New Guinea, including assistance in training the country’s police officers. Tribal violence in the Enga region has escalated since the 2022 elections, which saw the reelection of Prime Minister James Marape’s administration.
Throughout the country, elections and the accompanying allegations of cheating and process anomalies have historically triggered violence. Enga Governor Peter Ipatas stated that there were warnings indicating that tribal fighting was on the verge of erupting.
“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 told ABC. Ipatas described the violence as a “very, very sad occasion for us in the province and it’s a bad thing for the country.”