At least 64 people have died in tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, police in this Pacific country announced on Sunday evening, the latest deadly violence linked to ancestral conflicts.
The death toll from what appears to have been an ambush on Sunday morning could rise, Deputy Police Commissioner Samson Kua said.
“We think there are still bodies in the bush,” he added.
The events took place near the town of Wabag (north), in the highlands some 600 kilometers northwest of the capital Port Moresby, reported the country’s police chief, David Manning.
The police received videos and photos which allegedly came from the places where this violence took place. They show images of bloodied bodies with serious injuries, lying side by side on the side of the road or stacked in the back of a truck.
The exact circumstances of these deaths are not yet known. Police, however, reported receiving reports of heavy gunfire.
Tribal clashes, often sparked by territorial disputes and accusations of theft, have occurred for centuries in this part of the island. The influx of automatic weapons has made the clashes more deadly and intensified the violence.
Kua said the shooters used a veritable arsenal, including SLR, AK-47, M4, AR15 and M16 rifles, as well as shotguns and homemade firearms.
It appears that fighting is continuing in a rural area located near where the violence occurred.
“Extremely violent” attacks
The island’s government has tried repression, mediation, amnesty and a range of other strategies to control the violence, with little success.
The army has deployed around a hundred soldiers in the region, but this has had a limited impact and the security services remain insufficient in terms of numbers and weapons.
The violence often takes place in isolated communities, with clans launching raids or ambushes in revenge for previous attacks.
The abuses committed are often extremely violent, with victims being cut with machetes, burned, mutilated or tortured.
Civilians, including pregnant women and children, have been targeted in the past.
The police officers, very poorly paid, claim to not have the necessary means to accomplish their mission. Some of their weapons, which end up in the hands of tribal members, come from law enforcement.
Opponents of Prime Minister James Marape’s government on Monday called for the deployment of more police officers and the resignation of the police commissioner.
Papua New Guinea’s population has more than doubled since 1980, putting increasing pressure on land and resources and exacerbating tribal rivalries.