Tribal fighting claims 20th victim

TRIBAL fighting in Tari-Pori, Hela, claimed its 20th victim yesterday when a man from Hambuali village near Tari town was killed.
The deceased was one of thousands of people displaced by the fighting.
He had gone to his father’s village at Hambuali after the fight broke out.
His mother is from Pi village where the fighting started.
Hela United church bishop Rev Steven Bai said elected MPs, churches, police and other organisations were in the process of negotiating for peace to help the refugees when the killing occurred in the morning.
He said the United Church was working in partnership with the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation to help the refugees today when the incident occurred suddenly.
Rev Bai said the killing had instilled fear among people and there was a need for strong police presence at places where the displaced people were staying.
Police could not be reached for comment.
Pole Timu, the person who looks after the Tari Hospital morgue, confirmed that the body of the man was at the morgue, brought in yesterday morning.
Thomas Francis, a worker with the Hela health authority, said the warring tribes from Hawa that killed three innocent people (mother and two students) at Mulupi walked miles from Hawa to Piripu to kill those people.