30 killed in Sugu Valley tribal fights, should SoE be declared?
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| A group of armed Sugu Valley villagers gathered for a security briefing. |
30 killed in Sugu Valley tribal fights, should SoE be declared?
PORT MORESBY: A Papua New Guinea (PNG) government Member of Parliament (MP) has asked fo a State of Emergency (SoE) to be declared in Southern Highlands’ Sugu Valley.
However, the police say SoE is not necessary because the tribal fights had stopped for two weeks.
The bloody clashes, waged by tribal fighters armed with high-powered firearm, rifles, bows and arrows, since Feb 10 has claimed 30 lives (men, women, children and babies) to date.
After about four months of fighting, shouldn’t the security forces and the Government take tough action instead of trying to broker for peace and risk more clashes and deaths?
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces an update on the Sugu Valley bloodbath as reported by The National:
Raminai wants SoE to stop bloody tribal war
By PISAI GUMARA GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament (MP) wants Sugu Valley to be declared a state of emergency(SoE) to stop the bloody tribal war but the police say “it is not yet necessary” to do that.
The tribal war, triggered on Feb 10, has to date claimed at least 30 lives (men, women, children and babies) in Southern Highlands.
Kagua-Erave MP Wesley Raminai, in a statement released in Port Moresby, urged the Government to declare a SoE in the district to stop the bloodbath in the valley.
However, Southern Highlands police commander Chief Supt Martin Lakari said that was not necessary because “the fighting has ceased for two weeks”. “Unless the situation worsens, police will not declare Sugu Valley as an Inter-Group Fighting Zone (IGFZ) or SoE,” Lakari said.
“Declaring IGFZ will give security forces wider powers to move in to arrest and disarm warring tribal leaders and armed fighters.
“But since the fighting has stopped, police cannot declare IGFZ or SoE. Such a declaration will also require funding for security operations.”
Lakari told The National that for now, local church and community leaders, businessmen Maita Yawi, provincial peace mediation committee and police were working together to restore normalcy for mediation to proceed.
“We are also avoiding declaring IGFZ or SoE because we do not want to disrupt the efforts and programmes of those trying to mediate and broker for peace in meetings with warring tribal leaders.”
Raminai said tribal fighting had escalated into proportions that needed the intervention of the Government.
“What is needed is the declaration of a SoE to facilitate security operations to stop the unnecessary killings and destruction of properties.
“Tribal fights have been raging for close to three months and initial attempts by me and the Kagua Peace and Good Order Committee have failed to stop the clashes and feuds.
“Restoring (public) law and order must now be prioritised. At the start of the fights, we organised police and defence force manpower to go into the troubled areas to stop the deadly and bloody armed clashes.
“I provided funding and logistics to maintain police and defence forces presence in the area for as long as possible.
“Unfortunately, the warring parties saw this as an opportunity to rest and rearm.”
Kagua LLG president David Kuna said the tribal fighters returned to the battlefields when the security personnel left.
“Now, the rising number of deaths and loss of properties have sowed deeper hatred and feuds from rival tribal groups,” he said.
The tribal war, triggered on Feb 10, has to date claimed at least 30 lives (men, women, children and babies) in Southern Highlands.
Kagua-Erave MP Wesley Raminai, in a statement released in Port Moresby, urged the Government to declare a SoE in the district to stop the bloodbath in the valley.
However, Southern Highlands police commander Chief Supt Martin Lakari said that was not necessary because “the fighting has ceased for two weeks”. “Unless the situation worsens, police will not declare Sugu Valley as an Inter-Group Fighting Zone (IGFZ) or SoE,” Lakari said.
“Declaring IGFZ will give security forces wider powers to move in to arrest and disarm warring tribal leaders and armed fighters.
“But since the fighting has stopped, police cannot declare IGFZ or SoE. Such a declaration will also require funding for security operations.”
Lakari told The National that for now, local church and community leaders, businessmen Maita Yawi, provincial peace mediation committee and police were working together to restore normalcy for mediation to proceed.
“We are also avoiding declaring IGFZ or SoE because we do not want to disrupt the efforts and programmes of those trying to mediate and broker for peace in meetings with warring tribal leaders.”
Raminai said tribal fighting had escalated into proportions that needed the intervention of the Government.
“What is needed is the declaration of a SoE to facilitate security operations to stop the unnecessary killings and destruction of properties.
“Tribal fights have been raging for close to three months and initial attempts by me and the Kagua Peace and Good Order Committee have failed to stop the clashes and feuds.
“Restoring (public) law and order must now be prioritised. At the start of the fights, we organised police and defence force manpower to go into the troubled areas to stop the deadly and bloody armed clashes.
“I provided funding and logistics to maintain police and defence forces presence in the area for as long as possible.
“Unfortunately, the warring parties saw this as an opportunity to rest and rearm.”
Kagua LLG president David Kuna said the tribal fighters returned to the battlefields when the security personnel left.
“Now, the rising number of deaths and loss of properties have sowed deeper hatred and feuds from rival tribal groups,” he said.
Govt to improve welfare of police: Kramer
By EHEYUC SESERUPOLICE Minister Bryan Kramer says the country has enough legislations to address law and order issues and that government is now focusing on efforts to improve the welfare of police personnel.
“We will be looking into strengthening police force to beef up law enforcement,” Kramer said.
“Our concern is to raise the efficiency of the police force. The concern now is our rank and file, men in blue, and how we can help them raise their standard of efficiency and service delivery.
“The recent being at least 30 people killed with high powered guns in the ongoing tribal war in Sugu Valley, Kagua-Erave, Southern Highlands.
“I will be discussing with chairman of the guns review committee retired defence force major-general Jerry Singirok the tribal fights and gun control laws. I believe that the prime minister is also giving his input on the matter.
“Our immediate goals now are to improve law and order, housing for police personnel, improve discipline and secure.”
“We will be looking into strengthening police force to beef up law enforcement,” Kramer said.
“Our concern is to raise the efficiency of the police force. The concern now is our rank and file, men in blue, and how we can help them raise their standard of efficiency and service delivery.
“The recent being at least 30 people killed with high powered guns in the ongoing tribal war in Sugu Valley, Kagua-Erave, Southern Highlands.
“I will be discussing with chairman of the guns review committee retired defence force major-general Jerry Singirok the tribal fights and gun control laws. I believe that the prime minister is also giving his input on the matter.
“Our immediate goals now are to improve law and order, housing for police personnel, improve discipline and secure.”
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