Enga's Capital shut down after killing

ENGA’S Wabag town was shut down yesterday when a man from the Karl tribe was chopped to pieces in full public view by six men from the Kii tribe.
He is one of two people reported to have been killed yesterday, with a third man in critical condition at the Wabag General Hospital.
As tribal fights continued to disrupt business and life in the Highlands, the Karl and Kii tribes took over Wabag, with businesses and properties destroyed and vandalised and fighting continuing. The town is under threat, a witness said.
Wapenamanda district administrator Simon Wais said the conflict started over a trouble that occurred a few weeks ago when the man killed in public view had chopped the hands of a man from the Kii tribe and threatened to kill others.
He said of the six suspects involved in the killing yesterday, two were arrested by police. The other four had escaped.
Wais said the Kii tribesman tried to kill the chopped up man on Wednesday but he managed to escape.
They found him yesterday morning selling betel nuts at Wabag town.
Councillor Joe Karlkali, of the Karl tribe, told The National that the fighting resulted in the closure of businesses in Wabag yesterday and instigated a bigger tribal fight between the two tribes.
“The father of a little child was chopped by the Kii tribesman,” Karlkali said.
“Properties worth millions of kina have been destroyed. Two lives gone and another will die soon because he is critically wounded.”
Karlkali said tension was high and fighting was continuing yesterday evening.
He said a few soldiers and police came up to the fighting area but they could not do anything to stop it so they retreated because high-powered guns were visible.
Karlkali said that the Karl tribe lived around the Wabag town and Kii tribe at the back of the Karl tribe.