When asked to mediate peace between two warring clans in North Koroba Local Level Government early last month, Peace mediator Mr. Handapa Katia felt a jolt of fear, not knowing how he would be received by each of the clans..

“The conflict had been going on since June 2023 between these two clans (named) with properties and livelihoods destroyed, and at least 20 people already killed. To mediate and bring peace to such conflict was not easy and I feared for my life as well.”

“But I knew that I had to do it. I spoke to leaders from each clan separately using education and health as entry points and then eventually speaking of the tribal fight and why it should be stopped,” Handapa shared.

Handapa Katia is a part of the Hela Peace Mediation Team that works with the Catholic Diocese of Mendi and Hela to restore peace in parts of Hela that are affected by tribal conflicts. Handapa was part of the training conducted by UNFPA late last year on Basic Psychological First Aid and Conflict Resolution and used his skills acquired during the training to initiate peace between the two tribes.

“I remember during a session on conflict resolution, we were told that sometimes when talking to people about issues or tribal fights, talk about something else and not dive straight into the issue at hand. We can use different entry points to make people see the bad in these situations.”

“And that's what I did. I talked about education and how tribal fights will make it impossible for their children to have an educated future. While we fight, another village in some parts of Hela and the rest of the country are getting educated and getting better than us,” Handapa said he told the warlords of each warring clan. 

January of 2024, the two clans decided to end their fight and reconcile. 

“We only await for formal compensations to be done and to sign the reconciliation agreement paper provided by the government to officially end this fight. Otherwise these two tribes are moving freely throughout the district without fear.”

Handapa shared that it was not easy going between clans to mediate peace because he was afraid that he would be accused of being biased and representing the interests of one tribe over the other.

“So many different tribes had lost someone in this tribal conflict and I was dealing without different fractions that were hurting. I did not know how I would be received as a peace mediator. ”

“However, by approaching them with a different angle of education and development in their communities, I was able to ask them to identify why exactly they fight in the first place. Which led them to see that they were fighting for no reason at all, and this resonated peace in their hearts.”

Handapa also has been addressing the issue of trauma and basic Psychological First Aid with the two warring factions helping them to identify the root causes of these tribal issues.

“I continue to talk about trauma and underlying causes to these warlords. The issue of peace is an ongoing issue in Hela and this successful peace mediation is just the first of many.”