Police in the Hela province have confirmed that 20 lives were lost just recently due to an ethnic clash between two tribes in the North-Koroba area.
Hela Provincial Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Joseph Tondop said 10 lives were lost on both sides as a result of the tribal clashes.
“The clashes were a result of a suspicious death that had occurred 2 weeks prior and a person from an opposing tribe was accused for the death and killed. This led to payback killings and the all out clash.”
At the moment, police have managed to quell the fighting and have beefed up their numbers in the surrounding areas at the Koroba station with support from a unit from the PNG Defence force, while investigations commence.
Tondop has also engaged two teams of mediators to travel to meet both factions so negotiations for peace can commence.
Situation on the ground is maintained but the Chief Superintendent believes community leaders should take the initiative and ownership to address these issues locally before they spiral out of hand.
“There has been a lot of killings and we don’t want to hear of anymore. Community leaders should take responsibility to address when they are minor issues at the community level before they escalate.”