Fagululu situation remains tense as villagers flee violence

Second lot of displaced Fagululu villagers who walked for four days to the coastline where Police assisted to pick them up from Igwageta on two dinghies and deliver them Mapamoiwa station midday today (Image: Supplied)

The situation in Fagululu, Esa’ala District, remains tense as villagers flee ongoing violence sparked by a local dispute that has escalated into armed attacks.

Milne Bay Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector Benjamin Kua told NBC News that residents are seeking refuge at the government station in Mapamoiwa, with some walking for up to four days to reach safety. Police officers are assisting to transport displaced families where possible.

Kua said the gang responsible has issued threats against police, who remain on high alert.

The unrest began last week when an argument over prawn diving at the Upawala River between a villager and a suspect escalated. The suspect, joined by accomplices armed with bush knives and homemade guns, torched the villager’s house and then burned more than 20 others, forcing people to flee into hiding.

An earlier police attempt to enter Fagululu was repelled by heavy gunfire, leaving officers outnumbered. Additional reinforcements from Alotau have since been dispatched to support local police.