At least 64 killed in ‘largest’ tribal clashes in Papua New Guinea

Police retrieve 64 bodies after fighting breaks out between rival tribes in Papua New Guinea’s northern highlands.

At least 64 people have been killed in tribal violence in the northern highlands of Papua New Guinea, according to media reports, with one police officer describing the killings as the “largest” in the Pacific nation’s recent history.

The Post-Courier newspaper, citing local police, said the killings began at dawn on Sunday in the Wapenamanda District of the Enga Province.

They involved the Ambulin and Sikin tribes as well as their allies, it said.

Police told the Post-Courier they retrieved some 64 bodies from the roadside, grasslands and hills of Wapenamanda by Monday morning.

Rival factions used “high-powered guns”, such as AK47 and M4 rifles in the battles, the newspaper reported. The death toll is expected to rise, it added.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said the violence involved the same tribes that were responsible for clashes that killed 60 in Enga Province last year.

“This is by far the largest [killing] I’ve seen in Enga, maybe in all of Highlands as well, in Papua New Guinea,” said George Kakas, a senior officer in the country’s police force.