Papua New Guinea (representative photo)
Melbourne (Australia): The brutal killing of 26 villagers in Papua New Guinea has sparked outrage. United Nations and police officials say the incident took place in the northern part of Papua New Guinea, where at least 26 people are reported to have been killed by a gang in three remote villages. James Baughen, the acting provincial police commander of the South Pacific island nation’s East Sepik province, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Friday, “The incident was very horrific… When I reached the spot, I saw dead bodies of children, men and women lying there.
It is being said that all these villagers were killed by a group of 30 youths. Bougen told ABC that all the houses in the villages have been burnt and the remaining villagers have taken refuge in the police station. According to Bougen, the villagers are afraid to even name the attackers. He said, “At night some bodies were devoured by crocodiles in the nearby swamp. We only saw the place where they were killed. People’s heads were cut off.” Bougen said that the attackers have gone into hiding and no arrests have been made yet.
16 children were among those killed
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk said in an official statement on Wednesday that the attacks took place on July 16 and July 18. He said, “I am horrified by the sudden outbreak of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea. This violence appears to be the result of a dispute over the ownership and use of land and lakes.” Turk said that at least 26 people were reported dead, including 16 children. He said, “This number may increase to more than 50 as local authorities are searching for the missing people. Apart from this, more than 200 villagers have moved elsewhere due to burning of houses. (AP)
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