As a result of increased tribal conflict, 64 people have died in Papua New Guinea

As a result of increased tribal conflict, 64 people have died in Papua New Guinea

A violent ambush between opposing tribes near Wabag has left sixty-four bleeding victims in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. There was a reported gun war going on. Historic tribal disputes gave way to more violent altercations as automatic firearms proliferated.

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary published this handout picture on February 19, 2024, showing a corpse on a road while on patrol close to the town of Wabag, which is located 600 kilometers northwest of the capital Port Moresby. In response to allegations of continuous shooting between opposing tribes, police said on February 19 that they had discovered 64 bloodied remains in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Police in Papua New Guinea claimed on Monday that they had reacted to reports of an ongoing gunfight between rival tribes and discovered sixty-four bleeding dead in the country's highlands.

According to Assistant Police Commissioner Samson Kua, an ambush in the early hours of Sunday morning resulted in the discovery of the victims.

"We believe there are still some bodies in the bushes," he said to AFP.

About 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Port Moresby, the nation's capital, is the town where the event took place, Wabag.

At the location, police discovered purportedly explicit films and pictures.

They displayed bleeding corpses on the back of a flatbed truck and piled up on the side of the road.

There is a belief that the episode had something to do with the fighting between the tribes of Kakin, Ambulin, and Sikin.

For decades, highland tribes in Papua New Guinea have engaged in bloody conflicts; nevertheless, the introduction of automatic weapons has increased the lethality of these encounters and intensified the vicious cycle of bloodshed.

- Mass killings

Cua said that the shooters used a vast array of weapons, such as pump-action shotguns, improvised weapons, M4, M5, AK-47, and SLR rifles.

There seems to be combat going on in a neighboring isolated rural location.

There has been ongoing tribal fighting in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, with more mass murders taking place recently.

In an attempt to curb the violence, the Papua New Guinean government has experimented with amnesty, mediation, repression, and other tactics, but its results have been mixed.

Although the army sent roughly 100 soldiers to the region, their power was limited, and the security agencies lacked resources and manpower.

Murders often take place in isolated villages, when clansmen conduct ambushes or raids in retaliation for earlier assaults.

In the past, targets among the civilian population have included youngsters and expectant mothers.

The killings often use very brutal methods, such as stabbing, burning, dismembering, or torturing the victims.

Due to their very low pay, some of the guns that find up in the hands of tribe members are the result of police complaints made in secret that they lack the means to carry out their duties.

On Monday, critics of the administration of Prime Minister James Marape demanded the resignation of the force's commissioner and the deployment of more police.

Since 1980, the population of Papua New Guinea has more than quadrupled, placing strain on the country's resources and intensifying tribal tensions.