Hundreds displaced by tribal wars

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Red Cross is helping refugees displaced from their homes in due to ongoing warfare in a remote part of the Pacific.

Hundreds of families displaced by tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea’s volatile highlands region have been given help to rebuild their shattered lives.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided kits made up of kitchen items, tarpaulins, blankets and tools to more than 500 families affected by one of the most intense conflicts in Pilikambi in Enga province.

“There are hundreds of families in that particular area that left their homes because their villages were actually burned,” Red Cross spokesman Dan Waites said.

“Those people are still living away of their homes. They’re living with other people, other communities that are allied to them and they want to rebuild their lives.”

The aid distribution is one of the biggest operations ever undertaken by the humanitarian organisation in PNG and came after several months of negotiations.

“They told us it was the first time that they’d received that kind of assistance in that area. People said that these tools are going to be a great help for them in the coming months as they rebuild their homes,” Waites said.

To maintain neutrality and avoid aggravating the conflict, the Red Cross was careful to provide help to both of the warring parties.

“We actually ran simultaneous distributions to both sides of the conflict over two days and it was done in two different villages and so that way we tried to ensure that there are no extra tensions generated from our activities.”

Tribal fighting is an enduring problem in PNG’s highlands where illegal firearms are common and police struggle to maintain peace with limited resources and manpower.

A general election is due to be held later this year and past elections have seen an increase in the level of conflict as different ethnic groups compete to have their favoured candidates elected to the national parliament.

Waites said the Red Cross plans to provide similar help to the victims of other conflicts.

“We’re working in Enga province, Southern Highlands province and Hela province and we will plan to do more of these activities because we don’t see the issue of tribal fighting dying down anytime soon. - ABC