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In Papua New Guinea, the hunt for a gang that attacked three villages is underway. Women were raped and several dozen people were killed during the looting. Lawyers and judges are calling on the government to better protect citizens from the increasing violence in the region.
The violent murders were committed last week in the northern province of East Sepik. The local police have released disturbing details about the attacks. People were beaten, houses were set on fire and at least sixteen children were killed. The crocodiles dragged part of the body into the swamp.
“I am appalled by the horrific outbreak of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. He talks about at least 26 deaths. The number of victims is feared to rise to more than 50, as people are still missing.
Machetes, firearms and catapults
At least 200 villagers have fled. Survivors are said to be afraid to name the perpetrators. But according to the police, it is clear that the crimes were committed by a gang of about thirty young men.
I do not care, or I don’t care, that’s the name of the armed group, according to the police. They have machetes, firearms and catapults for shooting barbed arrows. The perpetrators are hiding in a forest area.
The question remains whether gang members can be arrested or prosecuted. Police investigations have yielded little in the past ten years, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird told the Australian ABC channel.
The governor seems to imply that he is powerless. “For some reason, the police chief keeps changing. Our county police chief was fired in January, and there’s still no position.” It is not clear from the article who is responsible for these decisions.
A growing number of weapons
Lawyers and judges demand action from the government. “The increase in cases like this highlights the need for intervention,” the head of the PNG Law Society told The National.
Advocates are very concerned about the proliferation of guns. The statement refers to ongoing violence in Enga province, which borders East Sepik. At least eight people died there in May and 26 people died there in February. Even then, it involved violent looting.