By MORTIMER YANGHARRY
ACTING Provincial Police Commander for Enga, Inspector Patrick Peka (pictured) has condemned warring tribes in Wapenamanda district for deliberately defying lawful government instructions.
This has resulted in the massacre of human lives with a total of 49 bodies already retrieved from the battle field with search still continuing.
Providing an exclusive situational report on the bloodiest massacre in the history of tribal conflicts in Enga Province, Peka revealed that the ongoing tribal fighting erupted on Sunday morning around 4am.
The Sikin clan and its allies, armed with high-powered weapons, moved into the Ambulyn clan’s territory near Akom Bridge along the Wapenamanda-Wabag electoral borders, intending to ambush their tribal enemies and burn down their villages.
Peka explained that the Sikin warring faction approached in three different groups with the intent to kill and destroy villages hosting their enemies—the Ambulyn clan in Aipipas village, the Sau clan in Yaibos, and the Lungipin clan along the main Highlands Highway.
However, to their surprise, the Ambulyn clan and its allies were already on high alert, defending their territorial lands and blocking more than 200 men attempting to enter their territory near Akom Bridge and Birip village in Wabag.
The Sikin tribesmen and their allies were effectively trapped, with all escape routes blocked, and were subsequently ambushed mercilessly by the Ambulyn clan and its allies.
Peka added that security forces, stationed at Highlands Lutheran International School and the new Huli Opene Polytechnical College in Akom, swiftly responded to the situation.
“However, the Sikin and its allies had completely blocked the main Highlands Highway from Birip to Akom and from Akom to Yaibos, compelling the security forces to clear the roadblocks to address the conflict,” he said.
The intense gun battle unfolded on the main Highlands Highway at the top of a mountain range at Birip, causing a complete halt in traffic and closing the Highlands Highway from 4am to 10:30am. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Peka’s team managed to intervene, risking their lives to save hundreds of lives from potential massacre by the Ambulyn clan and its allies.
“My men moved in the middle of the fight with heavy exchange of bullets were going on, we risked our lives and managed to save hundreds of lives that would have been massacred mercilessly by the Ambulyn clan and its allies,” Peka said.
Peka reported that a platoon of 35 soldiers from the Delta Company of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, along with 30 local policemen, faced overwhelming odds as both factions utilized military-issued high-powered guns during the two-hour exchange of gunfire.
“More than 200 highpowered guns such as SLR, AK47, M4 riffles, AR15, M16, pump action, single shots were used during the heavy exchange of gunfire that lasted for up to two hours,” Peka said.
He admitted that despite the fact that security forces on the ground were outgunned, they managed to maneuver and without fear forcefully entered both sides during cross fire and eventually took the situation under control diffusing and separating both sides from further bloodshed.
Despite being outgunned, security forces maneuvered with determination, entering both sides during the crossfire and successfully taking control of the situation, preventing further bloodshed.
Peka acknowledged the community policing approach from nearby tribes that assisted security forces in conducting a thorough search for the deceased.
Peka assured the government, Barrick Niugini, shareholders, business houses, and the traveling public that security forces have secured the main Highlands Highway, clearing all roadblocks, and normalcy has been restored along the main road.
He commended the risk-taking efforts of the police and soldiers on the ground during the open fire, saving lives and crossing the battlefield where escape routes were blocked by the enemies.
Peka expressed gratitude for the continuous assistance of the Enga Provincial Government in ensuring the operationality of main government services in the tribal fighting zone, particularly daily patrols along the Highlands Highway.
Providing an exclusive situational report on the bloodiest massacre in the history of tribal conflicts in Enga Province, Peka revealed that the ongoing tribal fighting erupted on Sunday morning around 4am.
The Sikin clan and its allies, armed with high-powered weapons, moved into the Ambulyn clan’s territory near Akom Bridge along the Wapenamanda-Wabag electoral borders, intending to ambush their tribal enemies and burn down their villages.
Peka explained that the Sikin warring faction approached in three different groups with the intent to kill and destroy villages hosting their enemies—the Ambulyn clan in Aipipas village, the Sau clan in Yaibos, and the Lungipin clan along the main Highlands Highway.
However, to their surprise, the Ambulyn clan and its allies were already on high alert, defending their territorial lands and blocking more than 200 men attempting to enter their territory near Akom Bridge and Birip village in Wabag.
The Sikin tribesmen and their allies were effectively trapped, with all escape routes blocked, and were subsequently ambushed mercilessly by the Ambulyn clan and its allies.
Peka added that security forces, stationed at Highlands Lutheran International School and the new Huli Opene Polytechnical College in Akom, swiftly responded to the situation.
“However, the Sikin and its allies had completely blocked the main Highlands Highway from Birip to Akom and from Akom to Yaibos, compelling the security forces to clear the roadblocks to address the conflict,” he said.
The intense gun battle unfolded on the main Highlands Highway at the top of a mountain range at Birip, causing a complete halt in traffic and closing the Highlands Highway from 4am to 10:30am. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Peka’s team managed to intervene, risking their lives to save hundreds of lives from potential massacre by the Ambulyn clan and its allies.
“My men moved in the middle of the fight with heavy exchange of bullets were going on, we risked our lives and managed to save hundreds of lives that would have been massacred mercilessly by the Ambulyn clan and its allies,” Peka said.
Peka reported that a platoon of 35 soldiers from the Delta Company of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, along with 30 local policemen, faced overwhelming odds as both factions utilized military-issued high-powered guns during the two-hour exchange of gunfire.
“More than 200 highpowered guns such as SLR, AK47, M4 riffles, AR15, M16, pump action, single shots were used during the heavy exchange of gunfire that lasted for up to two hours,” Peka said.
He admitted that despite the fact that security forces on the ground were outgunned, they managed to maneuver and without fear forcefully entered both sides during cross fire and eventually took the situation under control diffusing and separating both sides from further bloodshed.
Despite being outgunned, security forces maneuvered with determination, entering both sides during the crossfire and successfully taking control of the situation, preventing further bloodshed.
Peka acknowledged the community policing approach from nearby tribes that assisted security forces in conducting a thorough search for the deceased.
Peka assured the government, Barrick Niugini, shareholders, business houses, and the traveling public that security forces have secured the main Highlands Highway, clearing all roadblocks, and normalcy has been restored along the main road.
He commended the risk-taking efforts of the police and soldiers on the ground during the open fire, saving lives and crossing the battlefield where escape routes were blocked by the enemies.
Peka expressed gratitude for the continuous assistance of the Enga Provincial Government in ensuring the operationality of main government services in the tribal fighting zone, particularly daily patrols along the Highlands Highway.
