Papua New Guinea police said 53 people were killed in tribal violence in the country's volatile highlands, the latest in a series of mass deaths linked to long-running disputes.
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Police Commissioner David Manning said Sunday that officers and soldiers had recovered the bodies of 53 people. They are believed to have been killed near the town of Wabag, 600 kilometers northwest of the capital, Port Moresby.
The exact circumstances of the deaths were not immediately clear, but police said there were reports of heavy gunfire in the area. The incident is believed to be related to a conflict between the Sikin and Kaekin tribes.
Police received videos and photographs allegedly from the scene. They showed naked, bloodied bodies lying on the side of the road and piled up in the back of a truck.
Highland clans have fought each other in Papua New Guinea for centuries, but the influx of automatic weapons has made clashes deadlier and intensified the cycle of violence.
The Government of Papua New Guinea has attempted repression, mediation, amnesties and a host of other strategies to control the violence, with little success.
The army had deployed about 100 soldiers to the area, but their impact has been limited and the security services remain outnumbered and outgunned.
Murders often take place in remote communities, and clan members launch raids or ambushes in revenge for previous attacks. In the past, civilians, including pregnant women and children, have been targeted.
The murders are often extremely violent, with victims cut with machetes, burned, mutilated or tortured.
Police complain privately that they don't have the resources to do the job, and officers are so underpaid that some of the weapons that end up in the hands of tribal members come from the police force.
Opponents of Prime Minister James Marape's government called on Monday for more police to be deployed and for the force's commissioner to resign.
Papua New Guinea's population has more than doubled since 1980, putting increasing pressure on land and resources and deepening tribal rivalries.
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