Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea declares a state of emergency after serious unrest Melania Trump mourns the death of her mother

Following the serious riots in Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister James Marape has declared a state of emergency for fourteen days in the Pacific island nation.

About 1,000 soldiers are expected to ensure peace and order during this period, Australian broadcaster ABC quoted the head of government as saying on Thursday. Several people were reportedly killed in Wednesday’s unrest. Eyewitnesses spoke of “total anarchy”.

Chaos reigned for hours on Wednesday, especially in the capital Port Moresby, after many security officers stopped work due to a disruption in the payment of their salaries. Hundreds of people took advantage of this: countless shops were looted, cars and shops went up in flames. There were also riots in other parts of the country. “I appeal to the people in these places to realize that this is our country and we must take responsibility for it,” Marape said.

At least sixteen people were killed in total, nine in the capital Port Moresby and seven in the northern city of Lae, Australian broadcaster ABC reported on Thursday, citing the police station in Lae. According to emergency services, other people were injured and suffered burns or gunshot wounds.

The enormous tropical island of Papua New Guinea is located north of Australia. Ten million people live in the Commonwealth country, most of whom live in abject poverty – despite rich reserves of raw materials such as oil, gas and gold. The dissatisfaction of many, especially in the capital, is great and the fuse is short.

Bad luck as a trigger

What started as a peaceful demonstration by police officers and other civil servants in front of the parliament building in Port Moresby escalated dramatically a short time later: the reason was said to have been a technical problem in the payment of civil servants’ salaries. Many were therefore paid only about half of what they would otherwise earn. Those affected apparently thought their income had been curtailed and went on strike.

Hundreds of people took advantage of the situation to loot shops, the local Post Courier newspaper wrote. Videos shared in the media showed warehouses on fire and large crowds taking part in the riots.

Prime Minister Marape called on the army for help: On Thursday, soldiers patrolled Port Moresby to keep the situation under control. According to shop owners and entrepreneurs, the destruction and financial losses are enormous. A large shopping center was also set on fire. Some spoke of the “darkest day in the history of Papua New Guinea”.

Bad timing for the Prime Minister

Marape assured officials that the incorrect payments were a mistake and that the missing money would be paid with the next salary. He acknowledged that these are extremely difficult times economically, “but such lawlessness does not help.” The government wants to investigate possible financial help for those affected.

For the prime minister, who has been in office since 2919, the unrest comes at an inopportune time: a grace period that previously prevented a vote of no confidence in his leadership expires next month. If he loses, he will probably have to resign.

Several members of his government resigned following Wednesday’s events, insisting that Marape had stood idly by and watched the riots for far too long. One wrote that he was “shocked and ashamed at the level of chaos and unrest our capital has been subjected to as a result of bureaucratic negligence and confusion.”

(hah/sda/dpa)