At least 53 people have been massacred in Papua New Guinea's highlands in inter-tribal violence, according to reports on Sunday.
Papua New Guinean authorities said Sunday that the men were shot dead during an ambush in Enga province, reportedly due to inter-tribal fighting in the region. according to Go to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News. Acting Superintendent George Kakas of the Royal Papua New Guinea Police issued a statement to the same media after the incident, stressing that it was the “biggest” killing he had ever seen. (Related: North Carolina State Police arrest multiple juveniles and parents after spate of gun violence on New Year's Eve)
“This is the biggest (killing) I've ever seen in Enga, and probably in the entire highland region of Papua New Guinea,” Kakas said. “We're all devastated and mentally stressed. It's really hard to understand.”
Authorities believe that leading up to the incident, one tribe and its allies and mercenaries were on their way to attack a neighboring tribe before being ambushed. Video footage believed to be related to the incident was posted on X (formerly Twitter) and shows a group of tribal men carrying what appear to be guns and crossbows marching through the Papua New Guinea region.
#breaking news
of #massacre It was a significant escalation in progress. #tribalviolence regional.ABC reported that footage of bodies being loaded onto a police truck has been leaked.
(📹Kandep warrior, #Enga state, #Papua New Guinea)
▪️Police say 53 men were massacred in Papua… pic.twitter.com/rpqTlpZz1Z— ⚡️🌎World News🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) February 18, 2024
According to ABC News, Kakas said tribesmen were killed “all over the countryside” as authorities tried to ease tensions between the two tribes. According to the report, the acting superintendent said authorities were still counting “those who were shot, injured and fled into the bushes,” adding that the total number could reach “60 or 65.” did.
“These tribesmen are being killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,” Kakas said. “The police and defense forces had to take it upon themselves to do their best to defuse the situation.”
“We started collecting bodies scattered on the battlefield, roads and riversides… and they were loaded into police trucks and taken to hospitals,” he added.
According to ABC News, tribal violence has been an ongoing problem in the region since the last election in 2022. In this election, a man's death was blamed on a tribe from another village, and an ambush occurred at his funeral.
According to the media, Egna Providence was sealed off for several months in 2023 after large-scale inter-tribal fighting.
