Following the recent ethnic clashes that ravaged Wewak Town a week ago at the Nuigo Settlement.
Now a group of displaced settlers that have found refuge on the Sepik plains in the Angoram District adjacent to the Timbunke Village.
Now the community leaders of the displaced people are calling on the provincial government to assist them with necessities to alleviate the struggles that the people are going through.
One of the Community leaders, Mr. Patrick Gambia stated that they are in dire need of services but trying to reach out to the East Sepik provincial government, but to no avail as there is no means of communication with them or the Wewak District Authority as well as the Angoram District Authority.
“We have not received any assistance from the Provincial Government or even the Wewak or Angoram DDA (District Development Authority). The only assistance we have had since we first arrived was from a businessman in the area who provided tarpaulins for us to construct make-shift shelters for ourselves,” Gambia said.
Apart from the help of the business man, the settlers have also been receiving assistance from nearby villages in the form of food and clothing.
He added that communities surrounding the Timbunke Health Center are also calling out to the National Department of Health and as medical supplies in at the nearest Health Center in Timbunke is said to have run out of medical supplies.
Mr. Gambia added that since they arrived at the area a week ago, they have depended on the Health Center for medical treatment as many of their young men suffered wounds from the fighting that ensued at the Nuigo Settlement and many are suffering from illnesses.
“Our people are suffering from severe colds, fever, some are even showing signs of COVID, but we do not want to speculate on that, we just want to appeal to the NDoH and the Provincial Government to help us out,” Gambia stated.
Gambia said they were thinking of heading back to Wewak to receive treatment, but fear for their lives as tensions between the settlers and town residents still remain high.