Ethnic violence in Papua New Guinea

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Ethnic violence in Papua New Guinea often revolves around inter-tribal warfare.

Contents

Background

Clans and tribes in New Guinea have fought each other for centuries over various disputes such as land. In more recent times, elections have been a trigger for violence with tribes aligned down local candidate and party lines. [1] Traditionally the man who initially has the grievance is considered 'the owner of the fight' (or an elder male on behalf of a woman with the grievance) and is responsible for commencing and ending the fight while his clan is expected to support him. Traditional elders and leaders used to have a more stabilizing effect but their influence has been diminished in recent times as traditional tribal structures have been changing. For example, recently, fights have been started by youths against the advice of older clansmen and the owner of the fight, whose preference has been for mediation. Customary rules of war exist and the most consistent rule has been the concept of neutrality where participants should not attack neutral buildings or people. While there are only limited means of enforcing such rules which are usually passed from father to son or during clan meetings, older community members feel younger generations do not respect these customs. While the bow and arrows has been the staple weapon for centuries, the recent introduction of automatic firearms have led to more tragic outcomes. [2]

Islands region

Bougainville

During the Bougainville conflict, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army under Francis Ona fought for secession for Bougainville from Papua New Guinea. Copper mines discovered on Bougainville Island became a major source of revenue for Papua New Guinea. The vast majority of mine workers were from the mainland and the mine was causing environmental damage, leading to tensions. The people of the islands of Bougainville felt a greater cultural and geographical connection to the rest of the Solomon Archipelago, such as the nation of Solomon Islands, than they did to mainland Papua New Guinea. [3] The natives saw themselves as "black-skins" and migrants from the mainland as "red-skins". [4] In the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, voters voted for independence and the PNG government agreed to give independence to Bougainville in 2027. [5]

Trobiand Islands

In the Trobriand Islands, intertribal warfare was banned during Australian colonial rule and disputes were settled with games of cricket and this often continued after independence. [6] In Kiriwina Island, in 2022, more than 30 people were killed in clashes between the Kulumata and Kuboma. [7]

Highlands region

In 2021, approximately 30,000 people were displaced by tribal violence around the Highlands region. [2] In Enga Province, fighting between the Yalingin tribe and the Yambalekin tribe that costs the lives of 80 people and began the year prior ended in a peaceful settlement. [8] In the 2022 national election about 89,000 people were displaced nationwide, with most being from the Highlands region. [1]

Urban areas

In urban areas such as the capital Port Moresby ethnic conflict has included violence between gangs known as Raskols that are associated with different tribes. In Port Moresby the “Kips Kaboni” gang of the local Motu people were involved in attacking residents and gangs of the migrant Tari highlanders. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papua New Guinea</span> Country in Oceania

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia. Officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, it shares its only land border with Indonesia to the west and it is directly adjacent to Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The country is the world's third largest island country, with an area of 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous Region of Bougainville</span> Autonomous region of Papua New Guinea

Bougainville, officially the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island, while the region also includes Buka Island and a number of outlying islands and atolls. The current capital is Buka, situated on Buka Island.

The Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) was a secessionist group formed in 1988 by Bougainvilleans seeking independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The leader of the BRA was Francis Ona who led the BRA against the Papua New Guinea Defence Force during the violent 10 year conflict. Not all BRA members agreed to the Peace Treaty and boycotted it, and have held out in an official no-go zone, protected by members of the Meekamui Defence Force, currently commanded by Moses Pepino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provinces of Papua New Guinea</span> First-level administrative divisions of Papua New Guinea

For administrative purposes, Papua New Guinea is divided into administrative divisions called provinces. There are 22 provincial-level divisions, which include 20 provinces, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and the National Capital District of Port Moresby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bougainville</span> Bougainville, region in Papua New Guinea

Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years, according to artefacts found in Kilu Cave on Buka Island. The region is named after Bougainville Island, the largest island of the Solomon Islands archipelago, but also contains a number of smaller islands.

The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea to the verge of a military revolt. The event was named after Sandline International, a UK-based private military company force.

Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is a mining company of Papua New Guinea (PNG) that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). BCL operated the copper, gold and silver mine at the Panguna mine on Bougainville Island in PNG from 1971 to 15 May 1989, when mining operations were officially halted due to militant activity. The mine has remained closed since then.

Joseph Canisius Kabui was a secessionist leader and the first President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, from 2005 to 2008. He was also the leader of the Bougainville People's Congress.

Francis Ona was a Bougainville secessionist leader who led an uprising against the Government of Papua New Guinea as part of the Bougainville Civil War. He and his followers were concerned about the environmental and social effects of the operation of the Panguna mine by Bougainville Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. On 17 May 1990, Ona declared the independence of the Republic of Me'ekamui. It was not recognised internationally. In May 2004 Ona proclaimed himself "King of Me'ekamui." While resisting the peace process and 2005 elections, Ona mostly stayed in a safe haven, where his BRA forces controlled territory. He died of malaria in his village.

Bougainville – Our Island Our Fight is a 1998 Australian documentary film. It was produced and directed by Wayne Coles-Janess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panguna mine</span> Copper mine in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

The Panguna mine is a large copper mine located in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Panguna represents one of the largest copper reserves in Papua New Guinea and in the world, having an estimated reserve of one billion tonnes of ore copper and twelve million ounces of gold. The mine has been closed since 1989 and has ceased all production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Oceania</span>

Although the military history of Oceania probably goes back thousands of years to the first human settlement in the region, little is known about war in Oceania until the arrival of Europeans. The introduction of firearms transformed conflict in the region; in some cases helping to unify regions and in others sparking large-scale tribal and civil wars. Force and the threat of force played a role in the annexation of most of Oceania to various European and American powers, but only in Australia and New Zealand did wars of conquest occur. Western Oceania was a major site of conflict in World War II as the Japanese Empire sought to expand southwards. Since 1945 the region has been mostly at peace, although Melanesia has suffered from Indonesian expansionism in some areas and civil wars and coups in others. The Australian Defence Force is by far the largest military force in Oceania.

Noah Musingku, under the name "King David Peii II", claims to be head of the twin "kingdoms" of Papaala and Me’ekamui on Bougainville Island in the North Solomon Islands, which are not considered to be real kingdoms by any government authority. Musingku is the creator of U-Vistract, which was banned as a pyramid scheme in Papua New Guinea. After the banning of U-Vistract in Papua New Guinea, Musingku fled to Bougainville, taking advantage of the political situation on Bougainville to avoid prosecution and the aggrieved investors of U-Vistract from whom he had collected millions of kina. As of November 2020, his "kingdoms" remain at large, mainly due to fears of destabilising the island and because many of the local authorities have invested in him. Musinku's influence in Bougainville is widely considered one of the chief problems facing President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville Ishmael Toroama in his attempts to stabilise Bougainville in preparation for its independence.

U-Vistract is a pyramid scheme created by Noah Musingku in Papua New Guinea (PNG) around 1999 as a means of providing a sovereign wealth source for an independent Bougainville. Eventually, it was established, and expelled, from Australia, PNG, Solomon Islands, but continues to exist in some form in the island Bougainville under the rule of Musingku as King David Peii II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bougainville conflict</span> 1988–1998 armed conflict in Papua New Guinea

The Bougainville conflict, also known as the Bougainville Civil War, was a multi-layered armed conflict fought from 1988 to 1998 in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) between PNG and the secessionist forces of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), and between the BRA and other armed groups on Bougainville. The conflict was described by Bougainvillean President John Momis as the largest conflict in Oceania since the end of World War II in 1945, with an estimated 15,000–20,000 Bougainvilleans dead, although lower estimates place the toll at around 1,000–2,000.

John Bika was a Papua New Guinea and Bougainvillean politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum</span>

A non-binding independence referendum was held in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, between 23 November and 7 December 2019. The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea and full independence; voters voted overwhelmingly (98.31%) for independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in Papua New Guinea</span>

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is officially known as the Independent State of Papua New Guinea after gaining absolute independence from Australia on September 16, 1975. PNG is the largest country in the South Pacific region and comprises the eastern side of New Guinea including its islands. Crime in Papua New Guinea, both violent and non-violent, have contributed to the developing country's crime rate being one of the highest in the world.

Mary Kini is a human rights and peace activist in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She is a co-founder and the coordinator of Kup Women for Peace, an organization of women dedicated to addressing the problem of tribal fights in the Kup area of PNG.

On October 25, 2022, violence broke out between the Kuboma and Kulumata on Kiriwina Island, part of the Trobriand Islands chain of Papua New Guinea. The violence was the deadliest in Kiriwina history, and saw over thirty people killed.

References

  1. 1 2 Whiting, Natalie (2 May 2023). "Tribal fighting over PNG election leaves dozens dead and villages deserted". Australian Broadcasting Cooperation.
  2. 1 2 "Tribal violence in Papua New Guinea". Red Cross. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Francis Ona". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  4. ↑ O'Callaghan, Mary-Louise (2002). "The origins of the conflict". Conciliation Resources. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "PNG, B'ville agree on latter's independence". Post Courier. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  6. ↑ Francis, Chantelle (25 October 2022). "Massacre on Papua New Guinea's 'island of love' after tribal warfare". news.com.au.
  7. ↑ Kuku, Rebecca (25 October 2022). "More than 30 dead in tribal fighting on Papua New Guinea's 'island of love'". The Guardian.
  8. ↑ Lari, Elias (10 March 2021). "Warring tribes makes peace after fight claimed about 80 lives". The National.
  9. ↑ Bayley, Bruno (24 August 2012). "Street Gangs in Papua New Guinea Look Terrifying". Vice.
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