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Just days after Pope Francis made an urgent appeal for peace while visiting Papua New Guinea, tribal violence has erupted there, resulting in the loss of at least 20 lives.
Fighting between rival tribes over a disputed gold mine started days ago and is continuing in the western Porgera Valley in the island nation near Australia.
The latest flareup of violence comes just days after Pope Francis, in his first apostolic visit to the nation that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, made an appeal for peace, reported Vatican News’ Linda Bordoni.
“When Pope Francis set foot in the capital Port Moresby on September 6 for the second leg of his apostolic journey to southeast Asia and Oceania, he immediately asked the authorities to do their utmost to foster equitable development and responsible use of the nation‘s natural resources, that he said, are ‘destined by God for the entire community,’” Bordoni wrote.
“It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace, and hinders development,” Pope Francis said. “I appeal, therefore, to everyone’s sense of responsibility to stop the spiral of violence.”
Unrest had been brewing since members of the Sakar clan settled on land owned by their rivals, the Piande, sometime in August, the BBC said. The wire service added that tribal conflicts in Papua New Guinea's highlands are a frequent occurrence, but an influx of automatic weapons has "turbocharged" the most recent bout of violence.
The National Police Commissioner said in a statement that the situation has been caused by illegal miners and illegal settlers who are victimizing traditional landowners and using violence to terrorize local communities.”
Security forces have been given emergency powers to stop the latest violence – including the use of "lethal force" – the BBC reported the country's police commissioner as saying.
