Committee helps make peace between warring villages

A PEACE committee from Burum Kuat in Finschhafen, Morobe, has brought understanding between two warring villages in the local level government area.
The committee was formed after Hendeneng and Wahon clashed with each other over sorcery related cases in October last year.
It resulted in the death of four people, torching of 54 homes and destruction of food gardens and other properties at Wahon village. In Hendeneng only two houses were burnt.
The people in Wahon have vacated their village and settled at Tivilo village. They have been there for the last five months.
Former Upper Kuat village court magistrate Gilbert Qewayong said the committee worked with the provincial law and order office in Lae to contain the problem by issuing a court order to stop the fighting.
“We managed it when we went in, sat with the big men at the “hausman” and called for the village leaders to tell their people to surrender weapons used in the fight,” Qewayong said.
He said the villagers people submitted and surrendered their weapons. “We asked them to say sorry to each other traditionally, by way of exchanging pigs and other gifts for a start and wait for the bigger peace reconciliation ceremony next month,” he said.
The ceremony is expected to be witnessed by government officials, peace committees, police and people from both villages.
According to Qewayong, 13 bales of secondhand clothes with over K4000 worth of store foods were given to villagers affected during the fight.
Committee member and youth representative Eric Piwing thanked provincial law and order office for the support, Finschhafen MP Renbo Paita for contributing K10,000 and others who had contributed towards bringing peace.