Gang kills at least 26 villagers in remote Papua New Guinea, officials say

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Officials say at least 26 people have been killed by a gang in three remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s north, and eight villagers remain missing. It is the latest violence in the South Pacific island nation related to contested land ownership and sorcery allegations. East Sepik Gov. Allan Bird says violence across the diverse nation of more than 10 million people, who are mostly subsistence farmers, has escalated in the past decade. He says police are under-resourced and rarely intervene. Most of the country’s land belongs to tribes rather than individuals, with no clear borders. The conflicts have become increasingly lethal in recent decades as combatants move from bows and arrows to assault rifles.