Papua New Guinea declares state of emergency over riots

Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency, suspended a provincial government and is sending armed forces to its rugged highlands to restore order after rioters went on a rampage of looting and burning, the government said.

Violence has often ravaged the remote interior of the resource-rich Pacific nation, where tribal and land disputes overlay regional politics. Armed crowds angered over the failure of a court challenge to a regional governor’s election burned an aeroplane, looted a warehouse and torched buildings in Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands province, this week.

Papua New Guinea has declared a nine-month state of emergency in the province, and suspended its government for the duration, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said on Friday.

 

Source: Reuters

Kayra Watson
The Kootneeti Indo-Pacific Team

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