A victim of the confrontation in Mt Hagen, Paul Yop from the Jika Komapi clan lying in a Mt Hagen hospital bed after being attended to for axe wounds to his head and stomach, a screwdriver wound to his jaw and bush knife wounds to his arms. His condition was last described as serious.

from The National

With tensions high and fear of more clashes in Mount Hage, some workers have begun moving their families out of the city to their home provinces.

Men from two separate clans of the Jika tribe attacked each other with bush knives, stones and anything else they could lay their hands on last Friday night and Saturday morning following a  surprise decision of the National Court relating to the top public service post.

The National Government in a surprise move removed incumbent Michael Wandil and appointed Malcolm Culligan as acting administrator, triggering the dispute which spread throughout the small community.

Wandil, backed by Governor Paias Wingti, went to court and last Wednesday the National Court reinstated him and ordered Culligan to vacate the post until a full hearing into who is legally in office is determined in June.