Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

UN withdraws from PNG Highlands amid riots

The United Nations has withdrawn staff from Papua New Guinea's Southern Highlands amid continuing civil unrest in the region.

The United Nations has pulled staff from Papua New Guinea's Southern Highlands as civil unrest continues to stir in the province.

The country's government declared a state of emergency and sent in troops after armed crowds set fire to a plane, looted a warehouse and torched government buildings last week.

The demonstrators have been angered by the failure of a legal challenge by a candidate against the result of gubernatorial elections last year.

The situation escalated over the weekend as several hundred protesters, reportedly with weapons, took to the streets of the provincial capital Mendi calling for Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to resign.

Mr O'Neill has since announced he will visit the region on Wednesday.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Due to host the APEC summit this year, PNG's government has been keen to resolve the tension quickly and last week said the plans would not be affected.

However, the United Nations last week relocated eighteen staff providing aid after February's 7.5-magnitude earthquake from Mendi to Mount Hagen, about 100 kilometres away, the organisations local branch confirmed on social media.

Staff plan to return once the situation calms.

Mr O'Neill on Friday declared a nine-month state of emergency in the Southern Highlands, and suspended its government for the duration, with more than 100 Defence Force soldiers arriving since.

Many communities in the area are still receiving assistance after quake, which killed 100 people.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world