By SALLY POKITON
UPNG journalism student

TRIBAL violence in two highlands provinces resulted in the deaths of 218 people between May and October this year, according to a survey, The National reports.
The figures were revealed at a seminar conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross at the University of Papua New Guinea last Thursday.
The survey was conducted in Bena, Eastern Highlands, plus Kagua and South-Koroba in the Southern Highlands.
It showed that in terms of humanitarian consequences, 15,700 people were affected of which 3,500 lived in Bena, 10,300 in Kagua and 1,900 in South-Koroba.
The tribal violence containment project survey was carried out by the ICRC from May to October in 12 villages in the three districts.
It was to protect and assist the victims of tribal violence.
Field delegate Arnaud de Coupigny said fights broke out because someone was killed, land rows, election disputes and thefts of pigs.
In most cases murder was related to sorcery and election killings.
He said in Kagua and South-Koroba, 188 orphans have been left behind after 91 adults were killed while 7000 houses were destroyed.
Wesley Spinder, the ICRC field officer based in the Southern Highlands, said from the surveys he carried out at Pureni in Tari and at Kagua in Mendi, people were affected by the loss of homes, food, water and sanitation, medical treatment and accessibility to other services during tribal fights.
Spinder said the survey was conducted to find out the type of humanitarian crisis people faced and if they knew about international human rights law.