Key landowner groups of the Porgera mine, the Porgera Landowners Association (PLOA) and the newly established Lease for Mining Purpose Landowners Association (LMPLOA) have signed an agreement to provide support for peace restoration efforts in the Porgera valley. The groups have undertaken to fund the logistics, administration and accommodation requirements for a group of identified strategic leaders of the various warring tribal clans to convene in a neutral environment setting to discuss and initiate a way forward for normalcy to return in anticipation for the reopening of the Porgera mine. On Saturday 24 September 2022, PLOA Chairman Tony Mark Ekepa and LMPLO Chairman Timothy Andambo signed a contract with Puluperale Limited, a local company to provide these services. The signing took place at Yoko and was witnessed by members of the Porgera Crisis Management Committee, Restoring Justice Initiative (RJI) and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) including the Mineral Resource Authority (MRA) through Porgera Project Coordinator Joe Kak. The contract is for a period of one month and the services will be provided to affected strategic leaders who are identified by the crisis management committee. The landowner group leaders expressed that the tribal conflict which started off near Kairik in 2020 between the Aiyela and Nomali clans has spread to many other clan boundaries and villages leaving in its path, death in the hundreds, destruction of properties in the millions, a shut-down of basic government services, abductions, fear and overall suffering. The landowner group leaders expressed that with the strong public outcry from relatives of victims, the communities and general populace compounded by an obvious lack in leadership from all levels of authority, it was incumbent to initiate this kind of support as leaders on the ground to give confidence back to the Porgera people. “No one is going to come and do it for us. We need our public servants to come back, our employees to come back, our people and leaders to come back, our school children, women and the young to roam freely without fear and intimidation. We need the sporadic killings and guerrilla type warfare to stop and we need the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to fix the ongoing lawlessness. “The only way we will see tangible benefits from the mine is if we do our part to find solutions to fix this law and order crisis in the valley,” Mr Andambo said. The intent of the support being provided by the SML and LMP landowner groups is to have the public servants houses currently being occupied by warring clan members to be vacated and for hired gunmen engaged by the warring clans to be repatriated out from the Valley. PLOA Chairman Tony Mark Ekepa said as the people on the ground they have to take ownership of the law and order problem. “In the absence of authority in the district at all levels, we as people on the ground need to take ownership of the law and order situation. We need to restore the presence of control and leadership to give our people confidence again,” Mr Ekepa said. Both Mr Andambo and Mr Ekepa reiterated that the agreement is in the interest of the SML and LMP landowners including the wider population of Porgera and neighbouring regions to restore peace, and revive the services that were closed in preparation for reopening of the mine.