At least 24 people, including two pregnant women and their unborn children, were killed in a three-day spasm of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea’s lawless highlands, prompting the prime minister on Wednesday to promise swift justice.
Officials said the deaths occurred in Hela province — a rugged region in the west of the country — when rival tribes apparently clashed over control of local gold deposits in the mineral-rich soil.
Highland clans have fought each other in Papua New Guinea for centuries, but an influx of automatic weapons has made clashes deadlier and more escalated the cycle of violence. Read more