By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby
Women, girls, the elderly, and young boys have rushed to pack any vehicle they could as they escaped heavy tribal fighting that has erupted in Papua New Guinea’s Porgera Valley.
The sound of gunfire erupts in the peaceful valley, shouts of war follow the gunfire, and amid the chaos, women and girls have been hiding, ever keeping a close eye on the scenes unfolding before them.
The fight in the golden valley of Porgera started earlier this week when two factions of illegal miners fought among themselves and one faction of the group killed two men from the other faction.
And the fight erupted from then on. With no leader since the death of their local member of Parliament, Maso Karipe, the valley has seen fighting intensify since Wednesday.
Caught smack in the middle are security personnel who have tried their best to bring peace to the mining township.
Papua New Guinea celebrates its independence from Australia on 16 September 1975 this weekend with a national holiday tomorrow.
The PNG Post-Courier attempted to make contact with security personnel but could only hear gunfire as the men continued to protect the mining site and each other.
Mass exodus of 5000
Porgera has seen a mass exodus of more than 5000 people.
The 20 people killed include two local mine workers and the numbers increase steadily each day. The electorate is run by gunmen, with all local services stopped and prices of goods the highest the electorate has seen in years.
The main road via Mulitaka has been closed since the May 24 landslide. The bypass road is yet to be completed.
A state of emergency must be declared, says Lagaip member Aikem Amos as his electorate borders the mining township.
He said that the government had often said short-term pain for long-term gain. However, that had fallen on deaf ears as gunmen moved into the valley laying waste to those who dared stand up against them.
Akem has called on the national government to intervene to stop the recent fight that has escalated.
He confirmed that all the schools, hospitals, aid posts, and other government services, including the BSP banking service in Porgera, were all closed in fear of this tribal warfare that is flaring like wildfire, costing a lot of lives.
Warlords ‘in control’
He said the fight was not confined to the Porgerans themselves but men from Lagaip districts and Mulitaka LLG were also involved in this fight.
“The fight is said to be covering all the Porgera valley,” Akem said.
The Lagaip MP said there was no road network, no communications, and even the price of goods and services had sky-rocketed in the last few days due to the fight and the road reconstruction in Mulitaka.
“The only thing that seems to be working is the Porgera gold mine,” Akem said.
He added there were not enough policemen and soldiers to maintain peace in the valley.
A few security personnel who were there were protecting the mine site and the nearby area and outside the mine premises all was in the hands of warlords.
“I as the member for Lagaip call for the government to intervene and declare a state of emergency in Porgera Valley now,” Akem said.
‘Peaceful golden valley’ gone
“If the government takes longer time to stop the fight in Porgera now, we might never have a mine in the next two weeks or months and years to come,” he added.
He said that there was no leadership in Porgera and the place once called a “peaceful golden valley” was in the hands of warlords now as we were were speaking.
Akem said without the late Maso Karipe there was nobody in Porgera to provide leadership.
“I am a leader for the people of Lagaip and I cannot look after Porgera District too given the status of my capability. But as a leader, I will always call for the national government’s intervention,” he said.
Prime Minister James Marape and coalition members were reminded in Parliament this week that law and order was the number one priority.
PM Marape said: “In this meeting, this body of leaders, on behalf of the coalition government, has elevated the fight for law and order as a number one priority as we move our country into 50 years of Independence and beyond.
“We resolved that, in the face of many competing needs, this government must, at the very earliest, explore every possible means to uphold the rule of law in our country, strengthen law enforcement, and ensure that the police and all systems of justice are functioning properly.
Concerted effort needed
“While we work on the economy, fixing health and education, and developing infrastructure through Connect PNG, every concerted effort must be made in the area of law and order, including fighting corruption.
“This is the number one focus for our coalition government.”
Prime Minister Marape emphasised that this initiative built upon the government’s ongoing efforts in the law and justice sector, including targeted personnel training to bolster ongoing force and the broader justice system.
According to sources on the ground the New Porgera mine had shut down its operations for a day as fighting continued on Wednesday.
However, by Thursday, the mine had reopened.
Miriam Zarriga is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.
