At least 18 people have been killed in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, an area plagued by ongoing violence between local tribes and where a state of emergency was declared by Prime Minister James Marape on Thursday.
According to local police chief George Kakas, 13 men and 5 women were killed on Tuesday near the mining town of Porgera in Enga province. The victims were apparently attacked with machetes and axes, he said.
This jungle-covered region is often the scene of violent clashes between tribes fighting over land or natural resources, sometimes escalating to mass killings.
“We have brought army and police reinforcements not only to Porgera but also to other places,” said the prime minister, who said the violence had nothing to do with the general elections currently taking place in the country.