Local villagers hold a placard as they participate in a gathering near the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province, Papua New Guinea on 23 September 2024, almost one week after police reinforcements were rushed to the area in a bid to quell tribal violence that shuttered the key gold mine Photo: AFP
Despite continuing tribal violence a business leader in Porgera in Papua New Guinea is at least happy more supplies are now coming through.
The Enga town has been beset with violence, much of it initiated by people illegally prospecting for gold in the Porgera Mine.
Frequently this fighting has escalated into tribal conflicts, with police commander, Joseph Tondop, saying they can quickly involve several thousand people.
Earlier, last May, a huge landslide blocked the access road into Porgera forcing people to go without many goods or to face exorbitant cartage charges.
The president of the Porgera Chamber of Commerce, Nickson Pakea, was grateful when a temporary road was put in.
"For almost six months we had a new 'normal' life," he said.
"The high price of goods and services, with low fuel supplies, high bus fares, but in late December we opened up the road. It is taking more than six months to build a new road, by-pass road. The good thing is we opened up a temporary access road, just above the landslide area and that is actually relieving us a lot."
In September a state of emergency (SOE) was declared to contain the lawlessness, and, after the early arrest of 62 illegal miners, it seemed progress was being made.
But there has been a resurgence in the violence in recent weeks, with Benar News suggesting there could be a complete breakdown of law and order at the Porgera gold mine 'stoking fears about the project's future and dire economic consequences if it shuts down'.
The mine only re-opened last year after a prolonged standoff between Canadian company, Barrick Gold, and China's, Zijin Mining Group, and the PNG Government which wanted a higher stake.
The PNG Government is now a significant shareholder, with Porgera landowners set to receive higher royalties, but the chief executive of Barrick Gold, Mark Bristow, has previously told RNZ Pacific the companies expects the lawlessness to be contained.
The violence, coupled with the road blockage, has severely curbed activities at the mine since its relaunch in early 2024.
For Pakea, the efforts of the SOE co-ordinator, Tondop, have been worthy, but he said the man needs more help from central government.
He said part of the issue for Tondop is that operations to contain lawlessness in other areas of Enga, undermine his work at Porgera.
"I have been calling on the national government to fund resources through the SOE and for all other operations to merge into the SOE as well. So that there must be one control and co-ordination to enforce the rule of law"
Pakea said he thinks the state of emergency will need to be in place for a year.
