Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
• At least four people, including one boy, were killed and nine young girls kidnapped in Porgera during the reporting period.
• Close to 16,000 people are confirmed as displaced across 94 locations in Hela and the Southern Highlands. The numbers are likely much higher.
• A joint team led by the National Disaster Centre and the Disaster Management Team travelled to Mt Hagen to meet with key stakeholders. A security operational plan is now being finalized.
• UNDSS conducted a mission to the Highlands to assess the security situation. Following the mission, some areas are now cleared, and aid operations can resume.
• Cash and in-kind contributions have reached US$2 million (PGK 7 million).
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Between 22 and 25 August, four people—including a 14-year-old boy—were killed in Porgera, Enga. Between 26 and 30 August, nine young girls in Porgera were reportedly kidnapped by warlords, according to sources on the ground.
The recent killing of a high school boy in Nipa station, Southern Highlands, has triggered retaliatory violence there. Fighting escalated on 31 August, resulting in the partial destruction of buildings at Nipa Christian Academy and neighbouring houses. The situation remains tense, and the school is likely to remain closed for the remainder of the academic year.
There were multiple outbreaks of election-related violence in Mendi, Southern Highlands, between 12 and 25 August that resulted in widespread destruction of property and the temporary displacement of at least 1,000 people. Some 500 patients were unable to access health facilities in Mendi due to the clashes and all ambulances and vehicles were grounded to prevent them from being vandalized, according to a local faith-based organization. By 28 August, security forces restored law and order in Mendi and peace negotiations reportedly had begun. Businesses have re-opened and schools have been requested to reopen after four weeks of closure, but attendance is very low.
The situation in Hela is reportedly calm, except for Margarima district, which remained inaccessible due to the recent clashes in Mendi that prevented aid workers from accessing Nipa to the west of Mendi and on to Margarima district in Hela. Some schools in Margarima have re-opened, but attendance remains low. Peace negotiations have not begun there.
Additional security forces were deployed to the Highlands on 23 and 24 August amid election-related violence in Mendi, Southern Highlands, and to restore law and order in other conflict-affected areas. The main roads within Enga and between Enga, Hela, Southern Highlands, and the regional hub Mt Hagen have mostly re-opened, and public transportation is operating regularly, according to Western Command. Enga’s commercial airport in Wapenamanda resumed regular flights on 29 August.
However, police recommend the use of security escorts and convoys for travel within Enga. Commercial supply chain routes beyond Wabag, the provincial capital, have not yet been restored, and a critical shortage of food, fuel, and other supplies remains, particularly in Porgera, where outbreaks of violence continue to occur. The distribution of emergency food and relief items in Porgera was temporarily disrupted by threats made by warlords who thought the food was being distributed by the government. Upon learning the items were being distributed by churches to mostly women and children, they acquiesced, and the distribution was completed. Public requests for the declaration of a state of emergency in Porgera have re-emerged amid challenges faced by security forces there to restore law and order.
According to IOM’s most recent Displacement Tracking Matrix, close to 16,000 people are confirmed displaced across 94 locations in Hela and Southern Highlands. The numbers are likely much higher, as information was unavailable for many areas, especially in Enga, due to insecurity. The highest number of displaced people in assessed areas are sheltering in Wapulaka village in Margarima district and Mongoro village in Nipa district. Churches, considered safe havens, are hosting displaced people (mainly women and children) in Enga, Hela, and Southern Highlands. Government officials in Enga indicated on 26 August that they are just beginning to conduct headcounts of people affected or displaced by the protracted fighting there and expect to have figures ready in two weeks.