“I can confirm that neither the Prime Minister, James Marape nor the National Government were engaged directly with the hostage takers in relation to the terms of release or the ransom sum requested.
“Negotiations were deliberately undertaken by third parties, through an agreed operational strategy, so as to not compromise the State position on law enforcement,” Minister Tsiamalili said.
The Minister said that families of the hostages, supporters, local communities, and local authorities were engaged in the negotiations.
