Kiriwina Island clashes
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| Kiriwina Island clashes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kuboma | Kulumata | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 26 killed | 6 killed | ||||||
On October 25, 2022, violence broke out between the Kuboma and Kulumata on Kiriwina Island, part of the Trobriand Islands chain of Papua New Guinea. The violence was the deadliest in Kiriwina history, and saw over thirty people killed.[1]
Under Australian rule, Papua New Guinea banned inter-tribal conflict, in an attempt to ease tensions in an area with thousands of unique tribes and cultures.[1] To resolve disputes between tribes and towns, Papua New Guineans turned to resolving disputes with games of cricket.[2] The concept stuck after Papuan independence in 1975, and generally continues to this day.[2] In September 2022, tensions arose when a Kuboma man^ was killed in a fight over a soccer game.[3] The situation escalated on October 19, after Kuboma youth^ allegedly destroyed the yam harvests of Kulumata villages.[3] Yams are considered an important part of Kiriwina culture, and the crops destroyed would cause food supply issues.[3]