Massacre of women and children in a dispute between villages, at least 26 dead

A gang of around thirty young men repeatedly attacked three villages on the banks of the Sepik River in Angoram district, killing women, children and the elderly. The police were only able to arrive several days later. Local Caritas sources report that this is a conflict over land exploitation that has been going on for years. It has now become a humanitarian emergency for those who fled into the jungle.

Port Moresby (/Agencies) – A few weeks after Pope Francis’ visit, Papua New Guinea is once again faced with the horror of a massacre resulting from disputes between clans in different villages. At least 26 people, including 16 children, were killed in a series of attacks in recent days in the villages of Tamara, Tambari and Angrumara, in the Angoram district, located in the eastern province of Sepik, in the north of the country.

Inspector Peter Mandi from the local police station gave chilling details of the massacres, with women raped before being killed and bodies left to the mercy of crocodiles on the banks of the Sepik River. The successive attacks were carried out by a group of more than 30 men belonging to a gang calling itself “I Don’t Care”. The violent raids began on Wednesday 17 and were repeated for several days, brutally targeting the most vulnerable women, children and elderly. The villages are in a remote area, difficult to access from the road. Local police were only able to arrive two days ago, while reinforcements from the national police arrived today. A search is now underway for the gang members along the Sepik River, but there are fears that more bodies will be found.

Many of the survivors fled into the jungle. One of them said that all the houses in his village had been destroyed and that the inhabitants had escaped with only the clothes on their backs. Local Caritas sources explained to that in this region – located within the parish of Kanduanum, in the diocese of Wewak – a conflict has been raging for years between four clans fighting over the ownership of the land and the exploitation of natural resources. Despite this, the police have never deployed enough forces to stop the chain of attacks and reprisals. Now a humanitarian problem has also arisen, because there are people who have lost everything and find themselves in the jungle without help or emergency structures.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he was “horrified by the shocking outbreak of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea” and urged the authorities “to conduct prompt, impartial and transparent investigations, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice” as well as compensate victims. Finally, he called for “working with affected communities to address the root causes of the land and lake disputes and prevent a recurrence of violence.”