Police in Enga Province have advised that there have been several killings that have occurred in the province and are calling on the commuters and others to steer clear of any major fighting areas.
Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent George Kakas said Police are doing their best to make sure fighting does not affect school and other public institutions especial within the Wapenamanda area where intense gun battles are reported to be seen from just across the valley.
He while speaking with PNG HAUSBUNG, PPC Kakas said now it is hard to determine who is who as minor skirmishes between tribes seem to be occurring randomly.
“At the moment, people are fighting, men are intersecting and setting up ambushes, so we are just trying to make sure that it does not spill onto the highway.”
“There have been several killings in the past few days, it’s gone viral on social media.”
The most viral picture of the gruesome killings that were reported, was that of a group of men that were killed and thrown into a ditch along the highway following a botched ambush attempt on a neighbouring tribe.
Following police investigations, the men clearly seen to have been hacked to death had crept up a hill to get to their enemies but were attacked and killed.
“They tied their hands and feet to the back of an open back land cruiser and tried to pull them across the road.”
“Fortunately, I was there and stopped them from further mutilating the bodies of the deceased.”
Another incident this week saw 3 men from a different tribe killed and tossed on the roadside in an act of frustration by the Ambugin tribe after they had learned of a premeditated attack plan against them.
Kakas said he on many instances have tried to get the tribes to come to a consensus and to cease fighting in the region, but this has been to no avail.
“I’ve tried several approaches; I’ve gone into the tribal zones myself about 3 times on both sides and I told them to stop the fighting. I warned them. But my warnings and advice has not been heeded.”
Meanwhile, PPC further added that a few tribes have grown tired of the fighting and have now approached the office of the PPC to broker peace and return to normalcy.