Dozens of men have been killed in fresh tribal violence in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands, local police say.
Enga regional police commander George Kakas told the Guardian that the men were killed by heavy gunfire on Sunday. He said men from the two tribes attacked another group and were “ambushed and killed.”
“Some of the bodies are still in the bushes and have not yet been recovered by neighboring tribes,” Kakas said.
“[The] “The situation remains tense, but the highways are free for public movement,” he said.
Authorities initially said at least 53 people had been killed in the ambush, but later said they had miscounted and said 26 people had been killed.
Graphic images and videos showed bodies piled up in trucks.
The massacre marks an escalation in violence in the region. While intertribal fighting is not uncommon in some parts of Papua New Guinea, problems in Enga province have attracted attention in recent months.
The state reportedly went into lockdown last year following an outbreak of violence that left up to 150 people dead, but estimates vary widely. The incident attracted international attention after disturbing footage circulated on social media that appeared to show the men being tied up and dragged behind a truck as onlookers cheered.
“The news coming out of Papua New Guinea is very worrying,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a radio interview on Monday.
“We are particularly providing significant support to police training and security in Papua New Guinea.”
