A Moment of Respite

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Warring tribes in Papua New Guinea agreed to a temporary ceasefire this week, putting a halt to years of revenge killings in the country’s remote highlands that escalated last month, Radio New Zealand reported.

Under the three-month unconditional ceasefire, tribes from the central Enga province agreed to stop the violence and work together with the government to bring an end to their years-long conflict.

However, the parties did not reach any agreement to surrender their weapons.

The recent conflict among tribes began more than three years ago, resulting in hundreds of dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Calls for a ceasefire came after 64 tribespeople were killed during a single ambush in February.

The new agreement warned that the clashes have led to a “humanitarian crisis.”

Fighting among Papua New Guinea’s highland clans has been going on for centuries, but an influx of mercenaries and automatic weapons has worsened the cycle of violence, according to Agence France-Presse.