Wewak town has come to a standstill as fighting continues between Mengar villagers and the settlers of Dump and Basis in Wewak, East Sepik Province.
Police in Wewak are yet to confirm the number of people killed in the clash. East Sepik Provincial Police Commander, Acting Superintendent Albert Beli said the situation was tense yesterday with police outnumbered, as trouble escalated.
He said they tried their best but the situation got out of hand with number of deaths unknown. PPC Beli said an urgent call has been made for additional manpower and back-up is expected to be sent to the fighting zone.
Meantime, business operations in Wewak has been affected, schools are closed and business houses were forced to close.
According to police brief, the situation started on Sunday at Mengar village where one of the man from Mengar was shot with wire catapult, who died later in the hospital, while two others were injured.
The Mengar villages retaliated and killed three from the Basis and Dump areas on Monday at around 3am. This led to massive destruction.
The suspects involved were identified and police and community leaders were negotiating peace when the fight started again yesterday morning.