Shocking violence in Papua New Guinea: 26 killed by gang

At least 26 people have been killed by a gang in three remote villages in northern Papua New Guinea, as reported by the United Nations and police officials. The interim provincial police commander of East Sepik province in the South Pacific island nation, James Baugen, stated, “It was truly terrible: when I approached the area, I saw children, men, women. They were killed by a group of 30 young individuals.”

The officer told ABC that all the village houses had been burned down and the remaining residents were seeking refuge in a police station, too frightened to identify the perpetrators. “Some of the bodies left overnight were taken by crocodiles into the swamp. We only saw the place where they were killed. There were severed heads,” Baugen said, adding that the attackers had gone into hiding and no arrests had been made yet. The United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stated that the attacks took place on July 16 and 18. “I am appalled by the shocking outbreak of violence in Papua New Guinea, apparently stemming from a dispute over land and lakes ownership,” Turk said.