The nation’s police commissioner has announced that security personnel have been granted emergency powers to put an end to the fighting, including the use of “lethal force”.
He further said that there is an overnight curfew and that alcohol sales are prohibited.
Since members of the Sakar tribe sometime in August arrived on property owned by their enemies, the Piande, unrest had been simmering close to the Porgera gold mine in the central highlands of the country.
Following the failure of peace negotiations between the clans, tribesmen fired more than 300 rounds on Sunday alone, according to the police.
According to David Manning, the commissioner of police for Papua New Guinea, “this dire situation is the result of illegal miners and settlers who are using violence to terrorize local communities and victimize traditional landowners.”
“Put simply, if you raise a weapon in a public place or to threaten another person, you will be shot,” he stated.
According to local media, a Canadian company’s second-largest mine in Papua New Guinea was temporarily forced to cease operations due to the escalating conflict.
Schools, hospitals, and government offices in the area have been closed and buildings have been set on fire, according to the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier.
