JAKARTA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were killed and 19 others injured after tribal clashes erupted in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya Regency in Indonesia's Highland Papua province, local police said on Monday.
Jayawijaya Police spokesperson Efendi Al Husaini said the latest data showed 13 fatalities had been recorded, while three of the injured suffered serious wounds and the others sustained minor injuries, he said.
The clashes involved rival tribal groups from Pirime in Lanny Jaya and Kurima in Woma. The violence first broke out in Woma district on Thursday before spreading to several other areas in Jayawijaya by Friday, according to the police reports.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Patrige Renwarin said the conflict stemmed from a long-running dispute over customary compensation linked to a 2024 traffic accident that killed a local legislator from Lanny Jaya. Mediation efforts over the customary settlement had stalled, triggering renewed hostilities between the groups, he said. ■