The highlands of Papua New Guinea are turning into a bloody war zone as tribes equip hired killers with powerful weapons, while armed police watch helplessly.
In an escalation of bloodshed, at least 49 people were massacred in an ambush by a group of raiders in PNG’s remote Enga province on Sunday.
Confronting images from near the town of Wabag, 600 kilometers northwest of the PNG capital Port Moresby, show the dead being piled onto the back of a flatbed truck.
Police have not yet completed the count of the dead, but it is the bloodiest incident of tribal violence in the area in recent history.
George Kakas, acting chief inspector of Papua New Guinea’s police, said the massacre was the “largest killing” ever seen in Enga province.
Police say at least 49 people have been killed in an ambush in PNG’s remote highlands as bloody tribal war escalates
‘We’re all devastated, we’re all mentally stressed. It’s really hard to understand,” he said.
“These tribesmen have been murdered all over the countryside and in the bush.
‘Police and defense had to do their best to suppress the situation at their own risk.
“We started collecting bodies, scattered across the battlefield, the roads, the riverbank… and they were loaded into police cars and taken to the hospital.”
Most of the deaths are believed to come from the Sikin and Kaikin tribes, who are involved in a long-standing deadly feud with the Ambulin tribe.
Tribesmen, many of them hiring armed men from 17 different tribes in the region and neighboring provinces, let loose with an arsenal of M16s, AR15s, self-loading rifles and pump-action shotguns, according to Chief Inspector Kakas.
Tribes are arming themselves with powerful firearms, causing more and more casualties in PNG
A senior police officer told the ABC his officers were not “superman” and would not “stand between warring tribes if high-powered firearms are used”.
Local peace attorney JAmes Komengi said tribal fighting was an ancestral practice, but what was new was the carnage by heavy caliber weaponry.
“The government needs to find out where the high-powered weapons are coming from and where the ammunition supplies are,” he told the ABC.
“And they must map the areas where the weapons are located and devise strategies to destroy, recover or eliminate these weapons.
‘The government should have intervened much earlier. But they do nothing and people are killed like pigs and dogs.’
He said police were “overpowered” because they were not as heavily armed as the factions they were trying to control.
Enga province is under lockdown as authorities try to stem the flow of weapons and ammunition into the area.
Tribal fighting can break out for many reasons, such as political disagreements, land disputes or marital problems.
The current feud is said to have started when the death of a man was blamed on a tribe from another village.
That tribe then ambushed the man’s funeral, killing five people with bush knives and axes, sparking a spiral of violence with villages are attacked and burned down.
Last July, the area was closed for three months due to ongoing tribal conflicts.
Authorities described the massacre as the “largest massacre” ever in Enga province
Bodies were placed on a flatbed truck after the brutal massacre in the PNG highlands
PNG residents lamented the bloodshed in social media posts.
“We are facing a total breakdown of law and order in our country,” one person wrote on a PNG News Facebook page.
“It’s happening in the Highlands and the coastal provinces.”
People should know that our police personnel cannot solve our law and order situations alone. Now we have already involved our military and CIS personnel.”
Local Enga MP Miki Kaeokhas called for a state of emergency to curb violence in the province.
Mr Kaeok said immediate intervention was needed to end the fighting and that police needed the power to stem the flow of weapons into the conflict.
“Businessmen, leaders and educated elites supply weapons and bullets and finance the involvement of armed men,” he said.
Papua New Guinea is located just north of Australia, with Sunday’s massacre in Enga province estimated to be the largest massacre in the area in recent times
“They must be identified and their business accounts thoroughly audited to substantiate their direct involvement.”
Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas accused the police of not heeding warnings.
“From a provincial perspective, we knew this battle would continue and we alerted security forces last week to ensure they took appropriate action to ensure this did not happen,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the security forces were complacent and we have a very, very high death toll.
“The police and security forces must take responsibility and be on the ground, assess the situation and take appropriate action.
“I don’t think they have been proactive and as a result this battle has been going on since last year.”
On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said news of the massacre was “deeply disturbing.”
“We remain available to provide whatever support we can in a practical way, obviously to help our friends in PNG,” he said.
A PNG police unit of 200 officers will receive training in Australia to deal with the situation.
