Papua New Guinea’s golden year and struggles to end violence

Papua New Guinea’s six-month experiment to persuade people to surrender illegal firearms, aimed at ending escalating violence, has ended. What happens next may be more important than the number of guns surrendered.

The national firearms amnesty and buyback program, which began in February and concluded Sept. 16, is part of the government’s National Prevention Strategy 2025–2030, a policy developed in response to increased violence and an influx of modern firearms.

The amnesty concluded on PNG’s 51st Independence Day, marking 50 years of independence and the golden jubilee of its nationhood. The government has presented the amnesty as part of a series of programs to reform and reorganize government departments as the country enters its next 50 years.

“The government has recorded 332 conflict-related deaths over the 12 months through September 2024, equivalent to 3.21 deaths per 100,000 people,” according to Police Minister Sir John Pundari. However, the death toll is an undercount “because not all deaths are reported,” he said.

Authorities have not yet released a final nationwide tally of firearms surrendered under the amnesty, even though every police station in the country’s 22 provinces established designated desks to accept weapons.

Under the policy, those who surrender arms would be eligible for monetary compensation as a token of appreciation for their willingness to do so.

But a vital question persists: How can people ensure their security in a system where the government fails to protect citizens’ lives and property?

Christian limitations

A media officer from Enga province, part of the Highlands region, which experiences frequent violence, told the media that the provincial government expected about 1,000 firearms to be surrendered, but only some had been handed in.

Long-standing tribal rivalry in the Highlands — the rugged, mountainous interior region running down the center of the island nation — has intensified in recent years due to the availability of modern weapons, according to a UN report.

For the government, the problem is not simply one of tribal violence but is intertwined with organized criminal networks, firearms smuggling, political rivalries and ethnic conflicts.

In January this year, Prime Minister James Marape said that illegal firearms were being supplied and financed by criminal networks and ordered a nationwide crackdown.

The violence has exposed the limits of the influence of churches in a country of about 10.2 million people, 98 percent of whom are Christian. The most recent census data on religion, from 2011, found that about 98 percent of citizens identified as Christian, including about 26 percent who were Catholic.

Leaders of different Christian Churches acknowledge that, despite their longstanding calls for peace, violence persists because tribal loyalties can remain stronger than appeals to Christian reconciliation.

“As a Church, we are very concerned about the out-of-control law-and-order situation in our communities and country, largely triggered by the presence of guns in the community,” admits Paul Harricken, president of the Catholic Professional Society of PNG.

Criminal networks, lawlessness

In an official statement in August, Harricken said that governance and the judiciary “seem overwhelmed by lawlessness, and it appears to go beyond their reach and capabilities.”

It is no longer safe to live in the country, especially for women and children, because individuals, groups, and communities are left to fend for themselves in a society of gun-toting outlaws, he said.

Police and law enforcement agencies must be free from political interference to perform their duties effectively, Harricken said. “The churches and civil society can only do so much; we hope for good governance, justice and peace in our country and communities,” he concluded.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands has also been campaigning against illegal weapons and violence. The bishops’ peace calls have continued for at least four years.

In June 2022, Archbishop Anton Bal, then president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, urged leaders and community members to cooperate in surrendering illegal firearms to restore safety and the rule of law.

The Church, through its social service wing Caritas PNG and the Justice and Peace Commission, advocates for multi-disciplinary approaches to tackle social ills including illegal arms, trafficking, and tribal fighting.

Pundari has insisted the amnesty was the last chance to surrender illegal arms, alluding to a crackdown after the program ended.

It is “the one final opportunity to do the right thing, surrender those weapons now before the amnesty closes,” he said. “When amnesty ends, leniency ends with it,” he asserted.

“My message is simple: surrender illegal firearms now, respect the rule of law, work with police to restore calm, ensure public safety, and create a friendly environment conducive to living,” the police minister said.

Prime Minister James Marape, on June 8, commended those who surrendered illegal guns but said enforcement measures would be stepped up against those who continued to hold illegal firearms after Sept. 16.

Businessman Michael Tee Pau in Jiwaka province said: “We keep guns for the security of our businesses, homes, and property; the guns will defend us.”

In August, Pau led a team of leaders and youth in surrendering illegal firearms. He said they had surrendered the guns, expecting police and law enforcers “to be prompt in responding to tribal conflicts.”

Not just tribal communities, but even businesses maintain guns for their security. A private investment company in Banz Jiwaka province surrendered six firearms with ammunition and hand grenades to the police during the surrender in August.

Retired public servant Goma Kiak, a leader of the Gena tribe in Kerowagi district in Simbu province, commended the amnesty program, but said local politicians and businessmen smuggle guns to help their own tribesmen in armed conflicts.

The program’s success will depend on convincing people that the government can protect their lives without them relying on their own weapons. That will require police that function without political interference, authorities that enforce the law impartially, and politicians who do not use armed groups or tribal loyalties for political ends.