Papua New Guinea Mutiny Jan 26, 2012: Who Runs Papua New Guinea?

by NowPublic Staff | January 25, 2012 at 05:09 pm

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Mutiny in Papua New Guinea: January 26, 2012

Commander Francis Agwi, leader of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force, has been placed under house arrest after a mutiny in the Papua New Guinea military.

Agwi was loyal to Peter O'Neill, who assumed the title of Prime Minister. However, Sir Michael Somare also calls himself Prime Minister.

Colonel Yaura Safa, has now declared himself commander. The mutiny was apparently bloodless, as up to 20 soldiers stormed the Taurama and Murray Barracks at 3am local time on the morning of January 26.

Papua New Guinea has had two Prime Ministers for the past several months, after Stormare was overthrown in August 2011 while getting medical care in Singapore.

Governor General Sir Michael Ogio can't seem to make up his mind who should be leading the country. Meanwhile, businesses in the capital city of Port Moresby are closing for the day, and tourists are warned to stay away in case the situation destabilizes further.

Last week there were rowdy scenes in the parliament when Sir Michael walked in brandishing the court order and demanding his reinstatement.

Note that this is not a cup, at least not at the moment: the military has not made a move toward either of the men claiming to be the rightful Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

He was warned by Mr O'Neill that he could be arrested if he showed up again.

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