Hilton peace talks raise security concerns

THERE are said to be five current tribal fights in Enga. Two of these fights, at Laiagam and most recently in Wapenamanda districts, have produced the most number of deaths which, with the help of social media platforms, are now global news.
The Wapenamanda fight on Sunday, Feb 18, produced more than 50 deaths in the space of a few hours. Bodies of the dead were piled like so much rubble onto a police truck for transportation away from the scene of the fights.
On Wednesday, an advertisement was taken out in this newspaper by the Enga Provincial Government which calls for all warring parties in Wapenamanda to attend a peace meeting.
The advertisement was an open invitation jointly by the Enga Provincial Administrator, Sandis Tsaka, and Police Commissioner David Manning to the two opposing parties, called the Yopo Alliance and the Palinau Alliance, to come to a round-table conference to discuss ceasefire, peace and humanitarian responses in the Tsak Valley and Middle Lai conflict areas of Wapenamanda.
The Hilton has been appointed as the venue for the meeting.
The Yopo Alliance was expected to meet the Government delegation this morning (Friday, March 8), and the Palinau will have theirs tomorrow on Saturday.
On Sunday, both parties will meet with the Government delegation.
While the end aimed at it honorable, the arrangement is fraught with danger to the participants, to hotel staff and guests and any security incident will be a blight upon this new hotel’s reputation and that of the country.
In any case, it will surely set a very bad precedent for all the other tribal wars going on around the country.
Is Port Moresby a neutral enough area?
This is a fair enough question to ask because the police force itself has revealed information that many of the educated elites and businessmen funding the fights are domicile in Port Moresby. They would most normally have their retinue of “tribesmen security” who are armed to the teeth and willing to cause maximum damage.
The case of the arrest of one businessman and his 18 henchmen in Port Moresby this week puts this argument beyond any shadow of a doubt.
What is the guarantee that this arrangement, made with the best of intentions in mind, will not degenerate into a full-blown scene of violence and mayhem?
Remember, this will be the first time these enemies will be facing each other across a conference table with the mass killings of Feb 18 fresh in their minds.
Even if the members of the two delegations have peaceful intent and are willing to discuss terms for ceasefire and peace, there is no guarantee that there will be no outside party from either party gate-crashing the conference.
There are six tribes comprising the Yopo Alliance, nine comprising the Palinau Alliances and 15 representing the impacted communities.
In all, there are 124 members from the various delegations. The potential is extremely high for somebody who has lost a close relative to go berserk at the sight of an enemy.
Three mobile squads and a company of soldiers are on the ground to support the beleaguered local police force in Enga to contain a number of tribal fights raging in the province.
But those they might be trying to contain might already have flown, with the support of the Government, to Port Moresby.
And, if the fighters should want to continue their tribal agenda in the capital city then, most assuredly, the police presence required to quell the conflict will be elsewhere – back in Enga.
What of the security threats to the patrons and in-house guests at the Hilton?
One major incident at the Hilton and this new hotel, which just opened its accommodation wing, can suffer irreparable damage.
The Hilton is a worldwide chain so the reputation of the country will also be torn to shreds.
Equally important is the message that this action will be seen to be sending throughout tribal fighting areas around the country.
Once this was an exclusive highlands phenomenon.
Today there are tribal fights in Goilala, Central; in Angoram, East Sepik, and parts of Milne Bay.
Is the police force and the respective provincial administrations willing to spend time and effort to bring all these fights to the negotiation table at the neutral place?
Does this not encourage future fights?
Such fights are supposed to be punished, if they are seen a domestic terrorism, by the police, not rewarded with hotel accommodation, perhaps even allowances and conference table discussions.