Tribal warfare near the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea has escalated into a violent shootout that resulted serious casualties, leading to a brief suspension of the mine, according multiple news outlets including the BBC.
Mate Bagossy, the UN’s humanitarian adviser for Papua New Guinea, confirmed on Monday that the death toll from the tribal conflict had reached “at least 20” but was “likely up to 50 people” based on information from community members and local authorities.
The fighting started days ago, involving hundreds of tribal warriors from the Sakar and Piande clans seeking to gain control of local mining access, said the PNG government, which has called for “lethal force” to to stop the fighting.
“This deteriorating situation has been caused by illegal miners and settlers who are using violence to terrorize local communities and victimize traditional landowners,” PNG’s police commissioner David Manning told the BBC.
On Sunday alone, it is estimated that more than 300 shots were fired after peace talks between the rival tribes had failed, the police said.
“Put simply, if you raise a weapon in a public place or to threaten another person, you will be shot,” Manning added.
In addition, the Porgera mine – the second largest in the South Pacific island nation – was briefly forced to cease operations as the fighting intensified, according to local media reports cited by the BBC.
“Over the past 24 hours, a significant escalation in tribal fighting has impacted many of our local employees. Homes have been destroyed, family and friends injured or killed, and people have been unable to sleep while living in fear,” Porgera’s general manager James McTiernan said in a statement to the South China Morning Post.
Located in Enga province, about 600 km northwest of Port Moresby, the Porgera mine employs over 3,300 locals and has produced more than 20 million ounces of gold over the life of mine, contributing approximately 10% of Papua New Guinea’s total annual exports.
However, tribal violence and government takeover had put a halt to Porgera’s mine production for nearly four years. A resolution was reached to resume the operations earlier this year.
Source: MINING.COM – Read More
