Port Moresby, May 9 (AFP/APP): Security forces moved in Monday to halt gun battles between rival Papua New Guinea clans that police said have killed at least 17 people near a major gold mine in the rain forest-blanketed highlands.
Clans also torched buildings in the town of Paiam and nearby Porgera during the three days of fighting, according to police, who were backed by troop deployments in the volatile region.
Two mobile police units were “containing the situation in Porgera town and have moved into the mine site, too,” Police Commissioner David Manning told AFP on Monday.
The fighting began with attacks between members of the rival Aiyala and Nomali clans, Manning told Papua New Guinea’s Post-Courier newspaper.
On Saturday, the attacks escalated into a large confrontation between the clans in Paiam, with multiple shots fired and several homes torched, he said.
A mine employee told the paper that gunfire and war cries could be heard echoing through Paiam on Sunday evening.
At least 17 people were killed over the three days, according to police.
Four bodies have been taken to the morgue at Paiam District Hospital since the fighting began, medical superintendent Jerry Hoga told AFP.
Porgera is home to a large gold and silver mine currently in the midst of sensitive lease negotiations.