 "Scores killed as rival tribes clash in Papua New Guinea")
A total of 64 bloodied bodies have been found by the local police in the highlands of Papua New Guinea on Monday. The victims were discovered amid bitter gun battles between rival tribes.
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Samson Kua, the remains were discovered during what appears to have been an ambush in the early hours of February 18.
“We believe there are still some bodies… out there in the bush,” he told AFP.
The tragedy happened 600 kilometers northwest of Port Moresby, the nation’s capital, close to the town of Wabag.
Graphic images and videos that claimed to be taken at the site were given to the police.
They displayed victims that were bloodied and naked, both stacked up on a flatbed truck and left by the side of the road.
It is believed that the episode has something to do with a battle between the tribes of Kaekin, Ambulin, and Sikin.
In Papua New Guinea, highland tribes have been engaged in bloody conflicts for millennia, but the introduction of automatic weapons has increased the lethality of battles and intensified the cycle of bloodshed.
According to Kua, the shooters had employed a vast arsenal of weapons, including pump-action shotguns, homemade firearms, SLR, AK-47, M4, AR15, and M16 rifles.
There are reports of combat continuing in a nearby isolated rural location.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe highlands of Papua New Guinea have long been the site of ongoing tribal conflict, with multiple mass killings in recent years.
With limited success, the government of Papua New Guinea has attempted a number of tactics to curb the violence, including amnesties, mediation, and suppression.
About one hundred military personnel had been sent to the region, but their influence has been little and the security agencies are still outnumbered and outgunned.
Clansmen often conduct ambushes or raids in retaliation for earlier attacks, leading to the killings, which frequently occur in isolated villages.
In the past, targets among the civilian population have included youngsters and expectant mothers.
The victims of these frequently incredibly gruesome crimes are burned, disfigured, machete-hacked, or otherwise tortured.
In private, police personnel lament that they lack the resources to carry out their duties and that they are paid so poorly that some of the weapons that tribesmen end up with are police-issued.
On February 19, opponents 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 doubled, putting increased pressure on the country’s resources and land while escalating tribal conflicts.
(With agency inputs)
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