Conflict-prone Enga province has been plagued by violence since the mine reopened in late 2023
By Harlyne Joku
(BenarNews) -- Papua New Guinea security personnel shot and killed two alleged illegal miners and reportedly wounded three others in weekend clashes at the Porgera gold mine in the restive Enga highlands province.
The conflict erupted on Sunday when armed men fired at security personnel during an attempted incursion into an area housing critical infrastructure, said Papua New Guinea police commissioner David Manning.
Violence at the mine has been unrelenting despite the declaration of a state of emergency in Porgera and the surrounding area in September last year. Waves of conflict have escalated between tribal warlords, illegal miners and landowners
since the mine reopened in December 2023.
The mine is a significant source of revenue for the PNG economy, contributing approximately 10% of the country’s total annual exports, according to the website of the operators of the mine, Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp.
Unverified videos posted on social media at the weekend showed hundreds of people running for safety, many carrying bush knives, amid repeated gunfire and earthmoving equipment that had been set ablaze.
“Security forces responded as they expected, in defense of critical infrastructure and personnel,” said Manning in a statement. “Two illegal miners were shot and killed during the incident.”
Local people reportedly claim three others were wounded outside the mine area.
Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Tondop, who is overseeing emergency operations in Enga, said in a statement that a mine employee was also seriously wounded in the confrontation in the pit area.
He said company mining equipment valued at well over U.S. $250,000 (1 million kina) was set on fire and destroyed during the police pursuit of the gunmen.
As a precautionary measure, a police mobile squad from the nearby city of Mt Hagen has been flown to Porgera with another one from the capital, Port Moresby on standby to be airlifted tomorrow, Tuesday, Tondop said the squads
will support and enhance efforts to restore normalcy, business confidence, the security of mine operations as well as protect government services and PNG citizens.
PNG authorized security personnel to use “lethal force” to quell violence in Enga when the state of emergency was declared last year.
Manning said police operations in connection with the incident were ongoing, with security forces searching surrounding communities for co-offenders.
“Security forces have been clear that we will not tolerate the illegal carriage of weapons or any interference in critical infrastructure or communities by criminal elements,” he said.
Chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association Mark Tony Ekepa said the shooting occurred at Kulapi village within the Porgera Mining Lease area.
“The situation is tense but the gunshots have subsided. No gunshots were heard today and there’s no burning,” he told BenarNews.
Ekepa said that operations at the mine were suspended on Sunday night because of the clash.
Following Sunday’s shooting, a local tribe dug a trench across the highway between Laiagam and Porgera to prevent traffic, PNG media reported.
Morombe Tombe, local ward councilor, said local residents were angry over the shooting of three other people outside the mine area, the National Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Their condition or reason for being shot was not reported.
The roadblock was eased late on Monday, the public broadcaster said.
Tondop said the tribesmen have been given 24 hours to repair and restore road conditions on the main highway. He said their actions and the incidents in the mine pit are a direct breach of the Emergency Peace agreement signed on Jan. 31.
Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp., which operates and part owns the Porgera along with China’s Zijin Mining Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the unrest was affecting operations.
The Porgera gold mine, an open pit and underground mine about 600km (372 miles) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, resumed operations on Dec. 22, 2023 after its lease was suspended by the government in 2019.
The IMF’s last economic outlook for PNG in February 2024 said the country’s GDP would grow two points annually to 5 percent in 2024, “supported by production from the Porgera gold mine.”
The mine’s reopening under a new, partly foreign-owned venture New Porgera Limited resulted in a surge of illegal miners into a region that already struggles with law and order.
Lawlessness has grown following a deadly landslide in May last year that killed over 100 people and severely limited road access to Porgera and surrounding areas.
Armed tribal groups have attacked vehicle convoys on the Highlands Highway, often stopping them at makeshift roadblocks made from felled trees and rocks.
Republished with permission.
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