Attack On Villages In Papua New Guinea Kills 26 People Including 16 Children

Papua New Guinea/ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Jellah Kum

JAKARTA - Attacks on three remote villages north of Papua New Guinea (PNG) likely killed 26 people, including 16 children.

Meanwhile, a number of people were forced to flee after the attacker burned down their homes, according to the United Nations.

"I am horrified by the sudden eruption of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea, which appears to be the result of disputes over land and lake ownership and use rights," said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk.

The death toll could have risen to more than 50 as PNG authorities searched for missing persons, Turk said.

More than 200 people had to leave their homes after the house was burned down in attacks that took place in East Sepik provinces on July 16 and 18.

As home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages, the Pacific country north of Australia, Papua New Guinea has a long history of tribal warfare.

However, violence has escalated in the past decade when villagers exchanged bows and arrows with military rifles and elections that deepened tribal divisions.

Eight people were killed and 30 houses burned in fighting in Enga province in May. Meanwhile 26 people were killed in an ambush in the same area in February.