Tribes in Papua New Guinea sign ceasefire deal

Tribes in Papua New Guinea negotiated a temporary ceasefire on March 13, agreeing to halt a spiralling series of revenge killings in the country’s remote highlands. Two feuding factions — known as the Yopo Alliance and the Palinau Alliance — met in the capital of Port Moresby on March 13 to hammer out a three-month ceasefire. Years of tit-for-tat fighting in Papua New Guinea’s central Enga province has escalated in recent months, with as many as 64 tribespersons killed during a single grisly ambush in February. The agreement, said that the running clashes had resulted in “the displacement of thousands of people” leading to a “humanitarian crisis”. “Both fighting factions agree to lay down arms and cease and desist from all forms of hostile engagements,” read the agreement, signed by tribal leaders and police.