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| Southeast Asia |
| Tribal clashes kill more than 50 people in Papua New Guinea |
| 2024-02-20 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] At least 53 people were killed during tribal clashes in Enga province in Papua New Guinea, ABC News reported on February 19, citing Australian media. Papua New Guinea's acting police commissioner, George Kakas, told reporters that this was the worst mass killing that law enforcement had seen not only in the region, but throughout the country. “The [police] officers who arrived at the scene were devastated and depressed by what they saw,” he added. The police commissioner said the death toll was ongoing and the number could rise to 65. It is noted that inter-tribal clashes in Enge province have been occurring for several years; police have repeatedly tried to prevent the supply of firearms and ammunition to the region in order to avoid violence. Moreover, in 2023 alone, more than 60 people were killed in the province; 17 different tribes were previously involved in the clashes. As Regnum reported, on the evening of January 19, riots broke out in Papua New Guinea, accompanied by acts of vandalism and looting against the backdrop of an announced strike by police, military and correctional officers. As a result, nine people died in the capital Port Moresby, and seven more in Lae. Dozens of citizens received various injuries and burns, and therefore the capital’s hospitals were forced to stop accepting new patients. In March 2020, a clash between warring tribes in Papua New Guinea killed eleven people, including three children. Local authorities emphasized that the feud between the Miape and Okiru tribes claimed many lives. They appealed to the president of the country with calls to declare a state of emergency in the Highlands region, as well as to detain the leaders of the warring tribes. Related: Papua New Guinea: 2023-12-22 Betel nut dilemma: Tradition, addiction, and growing cancer crisis Papua New Guinea: 2023-11-29 Police release photos and names of 34 Sierra Leone fugitives Papua New Guinea: 2023-11-29 13 Sierra Leone military officers are under arrest for trying to stage a coup |
| Posted by:badanov |