Help restore my village - torched to the ground!
Gunmen burn entire village in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. 
Fig1: What is left of many family homes.
Background
A whole village burnt to the ground by gunmen with petrol leaving families homeless and in destitute. The entire village of Bagl where the Kukilka Andamb clan, of the Kukilka tribe of Mt Hagen, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea live. The village is now completely reduced to ashes. Fifty one (51) houses, deaths, several serious life-threatening injuries, livestock destroyed and killed. Three (3) weeks on and no sign of help for the villagers who lost everything. Villagers waited 9 months for help from authorities but none came although several reports had been lodged with police. On Saturday 17th August '19, aggression from vigilantes, armed with high powered guns and petrol set fire to every house, resulted in complete village wiped out.
Fig2: Remains of oldest permanent house in the village is of my 86 year old father.
Click here for Bagl Village on Google Map . The village lies adjacent to the Kuk World Heritage Site and the Kagamuga International Airport , 13 kilometres north east of Mt Hagen township on Mount Ambra Road. Bagl village is a peace-loving community. The perpetrators came from another village called ‘Glanga’ to wage war on the village while the entire village was out attending the annual Mt Hagen Cultural Show . That was the last time they saw of their homes. The destroyers came with petrol and high powered semi-automatic guns and set fire to all the houses. There was a death and 2 wounded with gunshots in the day and prior to that life threatening injuries sustained by many . Total number of houses burnt down to ashes stand at fifty-one (51).
My background
My name is Anita Thomas. I am a Papua New Guinean mother from this village with three children living in UK. We returned from this village a month ago on 04.08.19. Two (2) weeks upon return to the UK, gunmen burnt this very village on 17.08.19. We'd gone there to visit relatives including my 86 year old father, whom grand children hadn’t seen for 11 years. It was supposed to have been our last before anything happened to my father. It is my village and my family is directly affected; they lost four (4) homes, two (2) badly vandalised and half burnt. Other families lost equal number of homes.
Fig 3: With 88+years old grand mother.
Visitors to the village
At the time of destruction, there were two young female German tourists who went to watch the Mt Hagen Cultural Show and stayed at an AirBnB accommodation provided by the villagers. If not for the quick thinking action of the villagers who saved their lives, the tourist would have got caught up. We are hoping to make available their(tourists) account of what happened.
Vedio1: This footage was shot two weeks before they lost their village.
Fund raising plans.
To get work started, we contacted a company who said they would help with the rebuilding process but have since withdrawn their support due to funding limitations. We are looking now to raise funds to help them help themselves by providing them tools and self help schemes as we were not able to raise the funds we hoped to raise through this drive. Immediate plans are for temporary accommodation, clothing, blankets, mattresses, gardening tools, cooking, pots, pans and utensils . Long term plans are for restoration, self-help schemes, combat trouble fight and minimise its effects.
I have assumed Village Restoration co-ordinator role. I had initiated the Bagl Village - Model Village (BVMV) concept, a concept birthed in 2011, and started operating since 2015, engaging people in self-help initiatives to address drug use, good health , poverty, bringing development into the community indirectly addressing tribal fighting. Little did I anticipate that four (4) years later, there would be such a devastating crisis requiring even more urgent need for funds.
Your Donations will be most welcomed for the rebuilding of Bagl Village
If you wish to give, please click on the ‘DONATE’ button.
And If you wish to get involved in the rebuilding of this community please get in touch via this page or email us at [email redacted] or get in touch via the Model Village Concept contact page.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
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PHOTO GALLERY:
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Further reports of tribal fights and effects, Papua New Guinea by the Red Cross. https://www.icrc.org/en/papua-new-guinea-tribal-fights . https://www.icrc.org/en/document/papua-new-guinea-png-tribal-wars-lives-lost-stories
