Reports from Papua New Guinea's Hela Province indicate peace talks between warring tribes are making headway.
ExxonMobil's LNG Project cuts a swathe of development through Hela province in PNG's Highlands. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
The talks follow the deployment of 300 police and military personnel to the Highlands province after months of tribal fighting and a build-up of high-powered firearms.
Hela's deputy Governor Thomas Potabe said things were proceeding well, and fighting has cooled off in and around the provincial capital Tari, which was a particular hotspot.
He said an amnesty was in place for the tribes to surrender their guns by the end of February, and that local authorities would monitor this closely.