Stupor in Oceania –
Suspected cannibals shock Papua New Guinea
Images showing men with machetes and a human foot have sparked outrage in the country.
Published today at 12:02 p.m.
Front page of the Post-Courier, Papua New Guinea newspaper.
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The Minister of Police of Papua New Guinea condemned and deemed “terrifying” this Monday alleged acts of cannibalism which were relayed on social networks and in the press.
A photo of a group of men armed with machetes holding what appears to be a severed foot appeared on the front page of Monday.a major national daily.
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None of them are photographed in the act of cannibalism, but in a second photo also published on the front page, a man appears to lick this human remains while exposing it to the camera.
Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili said he was particularly disturbed by these images which likely depict “terrifying acts of cannibalism”.
Sibling dispute
“A violent confrontation between two brothers escalated, leading to a heartbreaking outcome,” Peter Tsiamalili told AFP. Villagers took part in the conflict, “which led to the horrific murder of the older brother by his younger brother,” he reported.
“Such barbarity does not define us as a people or a nation,” he wrote in a statement on Sunday, after images and videos of the same affair were broadcast on social networks. “These barbaric actions by a group of young people not only shock our collective conscience but also present a serious threat to our societal values that bind us as a nation,” he added.
Police concluded that the images were taken in the Goilala district in the center of the country, and the killing took place “a month ago”, according to Peter Tsiamalili.
Enduring cliché
Cases of cannibalism have historically been documented among a small number of tribes in remote areas of Papua New Guinea. This means that the country is the subject of clichés that are as obsolete as they are stubborn, which it has been trying to get rid of for decades.
Last April, United States President Joe Biden suggested that cannibals could have devoured his uncle, who disappeared in the country during the Second World War. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape downplayed his comments and spoke of “confusion” among the American leader.
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