Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 1st August. UN agencies on Wednesday said that they are boosting up emergency support to survivors of a massacre in a remote region of Papua New Guinea that occurred earlier this month.
According to the UN country team, over 50 people in three villages in East Sepik province – Tamara, Tambari and Agrumara – were reportedly killed after an alleged land dispute on 17 July.
UNCT said that over 200 people have found refuge in the town of Angoram and displaced families are living in 6 temporary care centres.
Their immediate needs continue to be food, hygiene kits for women and children, and non-food items such as bedding, clothing, water and shelter.
They require child protection, education, and gender-based violence and mental health services, as well as psychosocial support.
Local government officials report that five perpetrators of the massacre have been apprehended, while at least another 20 remain at large, causing continued fear in the community, the UN country team said.
Richard Howard, UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, has condemned the violence and reiterated his call on the authorities to hold the perpetrators to account.
“Peace is the first prerequisite for progress,” he said. “Violence is never the answer and will only exacerbate the problems that are already there.”
UN said that land ownership is believed to be behind another attack in the Papua New Guinea highlands in February, which left at least 26 people dead.
UN human rights office noted that “conflicts among 17 tribal groups have progressively escalated since elections in 2022 over a range of issues including land disputes and clan rivalries.”
UNICEF has received reports of five unaccompanied children in Angoram whose parents have been killed or are missing.
The agency representative Angela Kearney said a specialized team was on the ground to identify the children and provide care, including psychosocial support.
She added that more help is on the way, including tents for families whose huts were burned down and livelihoods destroyed.
The UN team is providing critical support, with the International Organization for Migration spearheading the registration of displaced persons, in addition to providing camp coordination, shelter, non-food items, and emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies.
UNICEF is supplying hygiene kits, high-performance tents, recreational kits, and registration services for unaccompanied and separated children.
The agency is setting up child-friendly spaces and providing mental health and psychosocial services, as well as gender-based violence services and referrals.
The UN Humanitarian Advisory Team is coordinating with local authorities and partners to conduct joint rapid needs assessments.
Australian non-governmental organization Living Child, supported by UNICEF, is helping to establish child-friendly spaces at a community centre and provide psychosocial services.
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