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How Western Highlands Is Bearing The Brunt Of Gun Violence In Neighboring Provinces
Analysis - The Papua New Guinea Highlands, a region celebrated for its stunning natural beauty, is increasingly overshadowed by the escalating threat of small arms violence.
This isn't the tribal warfare of old, fought with bows and arrows under unwritten rules. This is a brutal new era defined by assault rifles and modern weaponry, leading to unprecedented levels of death and indiscriminate violence.
The scale of this transformation is horrifying, exemplified by the Enga massacre in February 2024, where up to 70 people were ambushed and killed within hours. Similarly, in July 2019, Karida village in Hela Province saw armed men targeting residents, with women and children disproportionately affected.
Breakdown of traditional conflict resolution
The recent surge in violence in the Highlands signals a collapse of traditional conflict resolution. The proliferation of high-powered firearms and the use of "hire men" (mercenaries) have led to more indiscriminate and deadly warfare, claiming more civilian lives. This points to a deeper societal breakdown where traditional authority is weakening and external factors are worsening internal disputes.
This isn't just a series of isolated incidents; it's a destructive force eroding families and communities, causing chronic fear and dismantling social bonds. Recovery will require not only halting hostilities but also healing deep-seated trauma and rebuilding trust.
The culture of fear and insecurity
The constant threat of violence profoundly shapes daily existence in the PNG Highlands, transforming routine activities into acts of courage or, often, impossibilities. The grim reality is palpable, with the "nauseating stench of dried blood" in villages like Karida and the sight of men carrying corpses to hastily dug graves.
This ever-present danger creates a pervasive "climate of fear" that dictates movement, social interaction, and overall well-being, often leading to self-imposed curfews and social isolation. Ruth Kissam, a human rights defender who worked in Enga rescuing women accused of sorcery, found the intricate bond between tribal fighting, guns, and sexual violence against women difficult to break.
"I know of communities that have totally collapsed because government workers left. They left after threats were made against their families," she said.
Data from 20 years ago underscores this fear: over half of all households surveyed in Southern Highlands Province (SHP) in 2006 reported being victimized in the previous six months, suggesting widespread direct or indirect exposure to violence. Citizens perceive the state as unable or unwilling to protect them, compelling them to arm themselves for self-preservation.
Twenty years on, these data indicators have not improved. This week, as a UN-led effort called the Saving Lives Initiative (SALIENT) winds up its final community consultations in the Highlands, the head of the team, former PNGDF Commander Major General Jerry Singirok, is presenting additional findings and lamenting more than 200 outstanding recommendations from a guns committee report he produced two decades ago.
"This is a leadership issue. Guns are a leadership issue. It's not about the people; it's about the leaders taking ownership," he said.
"More people are dying now. More guns have entered the highlands provinces, and all the coastal regions are not even spared."
This increased demand for weapons, alongside declining ammunition prices, creates a self-reinforcing cycle where the very act of seeking safety contributes to overall instability and the proliferation of arms. Over the past 12 months, Singirok and his team have been speaking to communities in Enga, Hela, and Southern Highlands. He points to eyewitness accounts of soldiers and police selling guns and bullets to tribesmen who then use them in clashes.
"There's big leakage, big leakage in the armory system. The whole system is collapsing. We need to resurrect the system. One pump action shotgun is bought for K20,000. One buckshot is bought for K20. One 5.56mm bullet costs K80."
Danny Gonol, a lawyer and community leader in the Western Highlands, told a SALIENT conference that people arm themselves because they have no guarantee of security from the government.
"For context, our people have lived communally for generations. This means one man's problem is not his own; it belongs to the community. If there is a tribal fight with a neighboring clan, people cannot rely on the government for security.
"That is why they arm themselves. Where is the security?"
Migration to Mt. Hagen
While much of the attention is on the visible impacts of gun violence - the bodies, the burning infrastructure, and the police statements - there is an even bigger crisis not clearly visible, and Mt. Hagen, being the closest province, bears the brunt of it.
Every week, large numbers of people migrate into other towns and cities for safety. Western Highlands provincial police commander, chief superintendent John Sagom, calls it a "refugee crisis" that is not being adequately acknowledged. Western Highlands has a little over 400 police personnel. The influx is responsible for the uncontrolled growth of settlements in and around Mt. Hagen, making policing extremely difficult.
"People look at refugee migrations as a thing that happens overseas. It's happening here. We've caught people with drugs in Mt. Hagen and we have found that these are people who have escaped from tribal violence."
Until recently, the Western Highlands had its own longstanding conflict where rival clans in the Nebiliyer valley fought each other over a 45-year period. Many of those who fought as young men are now in their 60s and 70s. One former solider who transformed a traditional conflict into a deadly tit-for-tat with assault rifles said the fighting "has brought nothing but misery" for the women and children.
Many of the villages are slowly recovering after a peace process championed by women. If any province has an example of the effects of long-term violence and an even longer road to recovery and healing, it is Western Highlands.
Beyond the immediate physical injuries and fatalities, the violence inflicts deep and often unseen wounds. There's also a documented "surge in trauma cases", particularly among victims of violence. The Mt. Hagen hospital has the biggest trauma unit in the country. People from the upper Highlands provinces are referred here for treatment, and the hospital receives the lion's share of victims of gun violence.
"Gun wounds are expensive to treat," said Jane Holden, CEO of the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority (PHA). "Some are expected to stay for five days. We are getting people who stay for 35 days. They go in for surgery and stay in the wards for extended periods."
But the even bigger concern Jane Holden raises is the growing cases of sexual assaults on women and children who come both from the Western Highlands and troubled areas of the upper highlands.
Pressure on services
The proliferation of small arms and the resulting tribal conflicts have severely disrupted education across the Highlands, stealing futures from a generation of children. In Enga province alone, an IOM report estimated 25,700 school-aged children are currently unable to attend school. The physical infrastructure of education is often targeted, with schools being destroyed or looted, rendering them unusable. Even when facilities remain intact, the journey to school often becomes too dangerous due to active fighting or the threat of violence.
Western Highlands Governor, Wai Rapa, previously called for governors of the upper Highlands to take responsibility and stem the internal refugee crisis caused by tribal fighting and gun violence.
"You've seen some schools up in Enga burn down. Some high schools, community schools. Where do all these kids go? They all come down to Hagen. And hospitals, when there's tribal fighting up there, they are coming. They're aiming for Hagen. When some of them are getting bullet wounds, they are coming to Hagen. So, we cannot chase them away," Governor Rapa said.
This week, he reiterated that call and went a step further. He wants a consultation meeting with all Highlands MPs to find solutions to the gun problem. But in the same breath, he acknowledges that politicians are also responsible for supplying guns to their tribesmen so that they can intimidate voters and stay in power.
"I know we politicians too, we are owning firearms and even we buy firearms to use in elections. Everyone wants to be a leader. So because there's so much threats, and you know, even the members of parliament, they feel their life is threatened too so they end up buying guns."
Governor Wai Rapa has made a commitment to gathering all local level government councilors in the Western Highlands for a large meeting of national and subnational leaders. Jerry Singirok says if there's anyone who has the solutions, it is the councillors.
"If we don't involve them, we will be getting nowhere."
