Papua New Guinea K-9 Unit member guards at the Porgera mining site as protesters from warring tribes gather. September 2024 Photo: Screengrab / supplied
The recent violence at Porgera in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, which claimed a number of lives and saw homes destroyed, has been brought under control by a beefed-up security presence.
Dozens of illegal miners have also been arrested and charged with trespass.
But now the violence appears to have abated, the concerns for the leaders of the state of emergency (SOE) is what will happen when the security presence is withdrawn.
Both commander Joseph Tondop and one of his assistants, Nickson Pakea, have suggested steps political leaders and the community could take to ensure the violence does not re-ignite.
The SOE came after violent tribal fighting around the Porgera mine, some involving illegal miners operating inside the mine itself.
Tondop believes the greater security presence is making progress in combating the violence but he fears a resurgence when the SOE ends next month.
He said the local police will have to work around the clock, working with the community.
"Our greatest asset is the community. These are issues affecting the community, so if the community start taking ownership with good leadership from the police commander on the ground, and from other local commanders, I am sure we are going to go a long way in trying to address. I mean Enga is not a bad place," Tondop said.
He added Enga is place of high literacy, and the vast majority respect the rule of law.
Porgera gold mine. Photo: Richard Farbelini at English Wikipedia / Public domain
Tondop said the major issue for police is the complexity of the tribal links in area, which allow incidents involving one to quickly escalate.
"One man's problem - he's accused of killing another person - in this part of the region it's not just that one person's problem. It's a tribal problem.
"So, in a tribe, you are looking at 3 to 4 to 5000 people. So that one person's problem, one person killing one person, it's like the three thousand people involved. That is the complexity of the law and order situation here."
Tondop wants local politicians to step up.
"We have councillors there, they are already on the payroll. All we need to do is strengthen their roles and responsibilities.
"We have village court systems in place. All we need to do [is] we need to strengthen all this. It is the provincial government's job to see where the gaps are and strengthen those gaps."
He added: "There is too much talking by politicians. We are not filling those gaps!"
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
A businessman in Porgera said life remains tough for the people in the district.
The region's only access road remains cut off by a landslide which occurred last May near the village of Yambali.
Porgera Chamber of Commerce head, and deputy SOE controller, Nickson Pakea, says the Porgera Mine is able to operate a reduced service, relying on material airlifted in.
But for the people and businesses in Porgera the struggle continues.
"Goods and services especially food supply to Porgera is a desperate time. It is very critical life we are facing because we don't have food supplies into Porgera," Pakea said.
"Informal vendors are trying their best to bring the foods into Porgera but they are tripling the prices because the goods have been assorted onto the other side of the road."
Pakea was referring to traders having to manually carry the goods past the huge slip, adding to their expenses.
Both men said keeping illegal miners out of the huge Porgera pit is vital - for the miners' safety and to stem violent clashes that quickly escalate to tribal confrontations.
Tondop said sometimes there have been occasions when several thousand illegal miners were in the pit.
He said most of these people are from other districts in Enga, or other Highlands provinces, rather than being Porgera locals.
Pakea wants to see efforts made to redirect the energies of these mostly youthful miners, saying the government must step up.
"Partner with the global authorities. Get the youth involved in some activities so they cannot risk their lives into the mine pit ever again. Rather subside some youth programmes, youth training programmes."
Pakea wants efforts to see a focus on career development, job training, and developing financial literacy.
The huge Porgera gold mine only re-opened earlier this year after a three year shutdown as Canadian multi national Barrick Gold and the PNG Government debated new lease arrangements.
Barrick chief executive Mark Bristow told RNZ Pacific early in 2023, that a pre-condition for his company returning would be assurances that law and order was being restored.
However, the region has been blighted by violent incidents throughout the year.
Last month a former PNG deputy prime minister said the problems in Porgera can all be sheeted back to the James Marape Government.
Sir Chris Haiveta, who unsuccessfully sought to topple the prime minister in a vote of no confidence in September, said the government's reckless mismanagement of the mine has thrown PNG into a national crisis.
He compared the crisis at Porgera with what happened at Bougainville's Panguna Mine nearly 40 years ago.
Meanwhile, the SOE is set to finish in December but Nickson Pakea said he would like to see an extension.