According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports on Monday, and citing local police, about 25 people have died in tribal fighting in the Northern highlands of Papua New Guinea
The men had been slain in an ambush in Enga Province, according to the Australian state broadcaster.
A report by a local newspaper, the Post-Courier, had noted that the violence had occurred on Sunday and was tied to a battle between the two tribes.
The ABC had said that Police officials originally reported that at least 53 people had died, before reviewing their number down to 26.
However, this report is yet to be verified.
George Kakas, a senior officer in the country’s police force had told the ABC that the tribesmen had been killed “all over the countryside and all over the bush. Police and defence forces have had to go in to do their best to squash the situation at their own risk.”
The Pacific nation houses a lot of of tribes, a lot of which still inhabit
inhospitable and remote terrain.
The ABC had also said that the latest violence involved the same tribes that were responsible for clashes that killed 60 people in Enga Province last year.
Meanwhile, the Australia Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said in a radio interview on Monday that he was providing considerable support, particularly for training police officers and for security in Papua New Guinea.
