Eight killed and villages torched in Porgera by PNG elite police unit

Late on 23 September, members of PNG’s Kumul 23 elite tactical police unit entered the Kulapi 1-4 villages adjacent to the Porgera gold mine, igniting homes and firing indiscriminately into a crowd of villagers. District administrator Jerry Maku reported eight fatalities, among them 16-year-old student Richard Yope, and one critical injury. Video footage showed bodies covered with blankets while locals lamented the loss of homes and missing tribe members.

The Pulumani tribe spokesperson Andreas Wabiria described officers in military fatigues and black masks, who also blocked road access and prevented families from retrieving bodies for burial. The incident highlights ongoing tensions over illegal mining, the government's inadequate resettlement efforts, and criticism of mine owners Barrick Niugini Limited and the PNG state for allowing such violence.