Racial violence in Papua New Guinea: at least 53 dead

At least 53 people have died in ethnic violence in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands region. In Enga province, a tribal group ambushed another tribal group and several other people were injured in the shooting, BBC reported.

The number of dead in the incident is expected to increase. The highlands region, 600 kilometers from the capital city of Port Moresby, has long been plagued by ethnic conflict. The government banned tourists from visiting the area following the escalation of violence in the ongoing conflict between tribal communities over land and other resources.

The provincial government declared a state of emergency and issued a curfew after 15 people were killed in deadly clashes last month. In 2019, 24 people, including children and women, died in the conflict in Papua New Guinea, which shares a partial border with Australia and Indonesia.

In Papua New Guinea, which has more than 800 different indigenous communities, the population has doubled in the last 50 years, and the conflict is also increasing, according to the BBC