In this bulletin:
1. UN — UN Continental Shelf Body reviews Fiji Joint Submission at 66th session
2. FIJI — Fiji moves toward ratifying Pacific Resilience Facility
3. AUST — ‘Petulant’ Trump blasts Australia for shunning Iran war
4. FIJI — Allies support Fiji military base
5. VAN — Vanuatu signs Waste Management Cooperation with Japan
6. UN — Middle East war risks pushing 45 million more people into acute hunger
7. PACNEWS BIZ — Fuel prices bite: Pacific families in NZ feel the strain as government looks at targeted relief
8. PACNEWS BIZ — Gas cartel? Attorney general to launch probe into ‘coordinated’ gas price hike on Guam
9. PACNEWS BIZ — CNMI pump prices range from US$6.36 to US$9.98 a gallon; residents brace for rising consumer costs
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Remittances supporting Fiji families
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Vanuatu-New Caledonia trade vessel start operations next month
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Women burned at the stake in modern-day witch trial ‘epidemic’
PAC – CONTINENTAL SHELF MEET: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
UN Continental Shelf Body reviews Fiji Joint Submissions at 66th Session
NEW YORK, 18 MARCH 2026 (PACNEWS)—The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has concluded its 66th session at United Nations Headquarters, with Pacific submissions among those reviewed.
The session ran from 09 February to 13 March with plenary meetings held from 09–13 February and 02–06 March.
The remainder focused on technical examination of submissions at the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, including work in geographic information systems laboratories.
During the opening plenary, the Division’s Director updated the Commission on planned building renovations and the impact of United Nations General Assembly budget decisions and the ongoing liquidity crisis.
He provided updates regarding the planned renovations to the building where the Commission conducts its work and noted that the Division was monitoring the progress of the renovation project and would continue to keep the Commission informed
The Director also addressed the impacts of both General Assembly decisions in respect of the 2026 budget and the ongoing liquidity crisis, reiterating the commitment of the Division to deliver high-quality support to the Commission within available means.
The Commission examined submissions from several coastal States, including Yemen, Mauritius, Palau, Portugal, Spain, Namibia, Mozambique, Mexico, the United Republic of Tanzania and Denmark, along with revised submissions from Brazil and the Russian Federation.
Pacific interests featured prominently, with presentations on joint submissions by Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu covering the North Fiji Basin region, as well as a joint submission by Fiji and Solomon Islands on the Melanesian Borderlands Plateau. Fiji also presented an amendment to its submission.
High-level participation highlighted the importance of the Commission’s work, with Gustav N. Aitaro, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Palau, and Alexander Kozlov, Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, leading their respective delegations.
The Commission also agreed to establish a subcommission to consider Yemen’s amended submission relating to the area south-east of Socotra Island…..PACNEWS
FIJI – PRF: FBC NEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Fiji moves toward ratifying Pacific Resilience Facility
SUVA, 18 MARCH 2026 (FBC NEWS)—The establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility(PRF) is a key regional initiative designed to strengthen collective resilience as Pacific Island countries face increasing climate change and natural disaster challenges.
Presenting the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence’s review report in parliament, Assistant Minister Lenora Qereqeretabua noted that rising sea levels, stronger cyclones, and coastal flooding profoundly impact our infrastructure, livelihoods, and economy.
These effects can quickly reverse development gains and strain public resources.
The PRF is a Pacific-owned and led financing mechanism providing accessible, grant-based funding for climate adaptation and disaster preparedness.
Unlike existing global funds that are often difficult to reach, the PRF focuses on predictable financing for community-level initiatives.
The Committee received strong support from the government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.
Ratifying the Agreement will allow Fiji to participate in the PRF’s governance, shape its policies, and access funding aligned with national priorities.
The facility’s grant-based model serves as a practical tool for turning national resilience policies into tangible community projects….PACNEWS
AUST – DIPLOMACTIC STOUSH: AAP PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
‘Petulant’ Trump blasts Australia for shunning Iran war
WASHINGTON, 18 MARCH 2026 (AAP)—Donald Trump has declared the U.S doesn’t need the help of Australia and other allies who rejected U.S calls for partners to help take back a major oil-shipping corridor.
In a scathing statement posted to his social media platform Truth Social, the U.S president blasted Australia and other Indo-Pacific nations for their refusal to get involved in the conflict with Iran.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East,” Trump’s post said.
“We no longer ‘need’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea.”
The conflict, triggered by U.S-Israeli strikes on Iran, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing globally after the de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to Tehran’s retaliatory actions.
The U.S president had requested a naval coalition to help secure the key shipping route, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies travels.
But Treasurer Jim Chalmers deflected Trump’s criticism, saying the government had not considered sending any vessels to protect oil tankers in the strait.
Ministers previously said Australia had not received a formal request from the U.S to provide a warship.
Opposition frontbencher Andrew Hastie took aim at Trump’s post.
“It was a petulant post from a president under immense pressure … relationships that are longstanding, you show respect and I don’t think it was a respectful post at all,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
“We’ve got a proud history and I just don’t think that’s how you treat allies. It’s a reflection on his character more than us.”
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Trump was “lashing out”.
“He’s furious that America’s allies are not prepared to support him in a war that he started without their consent or … without any consultation,” he said.
“It really just underlines … the importance of Australia being more independent, exercising our own sovereignty,” said Turnbull….PACNEWS
FIJI – DEFENCE: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Allies support Fiji military base
SUVA, 18 MARCH 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—A new headquarters for the 3rd Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment will reflect Fiji’s growing collaboration with countries such as Australia and Japan as the country works to strengthen its defence capabilities.
Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua said the project highlighted how international partners could combine their expertise to support Fiji’s defence institutions.
“The design process now underway is supported by both Australia and Japan,” Tikoduadua said.
“This demonstrates how partners can combine their strengths in support of Fiji’s defence capabilities.”
He said the project also formed part of a broader national discussion on the evolving role of the military.
“Australia and Japan both have long experience with defence forces that are adaptable and capable of responding to a range of non-traditional security challenges.
“Their legal frameworks and operational concepts allow their defence institutions to support national authorities in a flexible and practical manner.”
Tikoduadua pointed to NORFORCE – the Northern Territory Regional Force in Australia – as a model of how military units can work closely with civilian authorities while maintaining defence responsibilities.
“NORFORCE operates throughout the year in support of Australia’s northern security. Its structure allows it to work closely with civilian authorities while maintaining its defence responsibilities.
“It supports planning, coordination and administration. It also reinforces the professional standards expected within the RFMF.
“Cooperation between Fiji, Australia and Japan on this project demonstrates the potential for triangular partnerships between our countries in the future,” he said….PACNEWS
VAN – WASTE MANAGEMENT: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Vanuatu signs Waste Management Cooperation with Japan
PORT VILA, 18 MARCH 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST)—Vanuatu Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Tuesday in Japan with the Japan’s Minister of Environment, Ishihara Hirotaka.
The agreement covers the areas of decarbonisation, waste management and wastewater treatment.
Minister Regenvanu was in Japan to further the mutual interest, one of which is through the Memorandum of Cooperation.
It is anticipated through this cooperation that projects utilising Japan’s latest technologies in areas such as decarbonisation, waste management, and wastewater treatment will be further advanced to help resolve Vanuatu’s environmental challenges.
The areas of the cooperation under this Memorandum cover mutual interests in climate change mitigation and development of adaptation and mitigation mechanisms; environmental management including water quality management; sustainable waste management and resource efficiency, including hazardous and toxic industrial waste; and conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and management of protected areas;
Other areas of the cooperation may be mutually decided by the Sides in the Cooperation.
These would be undertaken through exchange of information on best practices and environmental policies, research and development and available technologies as well exchange of visits involving experts and delegations from relevant institutions and authorities….PACNEWS
UN – IRAN CRISIS: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS 3: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Middle East war risks pushing 45 million more people into acute hunger
NEW YORK, 18 MARCH 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE)—The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, as the UN chief again demanded an end to the widening conflict.
“The Secretary-General asserts once more that the war in the Middle East must stop,” said António Guterres in a statement issued by the UN Spokesperson’s Office in New York.
He said all Security Council resolutions regarding the end of Middle East conflicts must be implemented, including resolution 2817, which demanded an end to Iran’s attacks on neighbouring States.
“Beyond the immediate fallout in Lebanon, the conflict has also caused major knock-on effects on global humanitarian operations; we are really feeling the pain on this,” WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told reporters in Geneva.
“Our supply chains may really be on the brink of the most severe disruption since COVID and the Ukraine war back in 2022.”
Skau said that relief operations are suffering from longer shipping times and an increase in costs as the escalating violence in the Middle East continues into its third week, sparked by Israeli and US strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran and allied groups.
Amid ongoing hostilities – including Iranian counterstrikes against Gulf states and Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon – WFP’s shipping costs “are up 18 percent so far and we have thousands of trucks on the roads every day,” Skau explained. “These are now running on much more expensive fuel, due to the oil prices.”
He deplored the impact of higher costs which “mean that we can buy less food or provide less cash to beneficiaries”.
The agency has been forced to cut food rations for people in famine conditions in Sudan and is only able to support one in four acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan – currently the world’s worst malnutrition crisis.
Another major concern is related to the disruption of global fertiliser markets “just as sub-Saharan Africa heads into a planting season”, Skau said.
A quarter of the world’s fertilizer supply comes through the Strait of Hormuz, “which is now at a virtual standstill”, he explained.
Skau stressed that the spike in global food and fuel costs “could leave millions of families priced out of staple foods, particularly in import-dependent countries, like sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.”
“If the Middle East conflict continues through June, an additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger by price rises,” he warned.
“This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it’s a terrible, terrible prospect.”
Meanwhile the humanitarian effects of air traffic disruption continue to be felt acutely in Lebanon, one of the epicentres of the conflict, the UN’s top aid official in the country, Imran Riza, told reporters in Geneva.
“In 2024 [during the previous Israel-Lebanon conflict] we were receiving an incredible amount of assistance from the Gulf states, from the Saudis, from Qatar, from the UAE, from Oman, from Bahrain…We were getting a lot from Kuwait, and none of that is happening,” he said. “The air bridge is no longer there.”
Displacement and humanitarian needs across Lebanon have surged as a result of Israeli airstrikes and displacement orders covering ever larger portions of the small Middle Eastern nation’s territory.
Riza said that 132,700 people are staying in some 622 shelters but the total number of those who’ve had to flee their homes is likely more than one million.
“If you think that the population of Lebanon, citizens as well as refugees…, is close to about five and a half million, [we’re] talking about almost 20 percent of the people living in Lebanon having been displaced – and it’s going to continue,” he said.
The evacuation orders apply to southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of Bekaa.
About 70 percent of the displaced are not in shelters, Riza said, which creates challenges for humanitarians trying to reach them.
He also explained that because of military operations it has become very difficult to access people refusing to leave their villages.
He spoke in particular of the elderly, “people who can’t physically move and are very scared to leave”.
“They’re very vulnerable people that are remaining behind – and there are others that want don’t want to risk losing their homes, their villages.”
Recalling that Israel has extended its warning and displacement orders across southern Lebanon, “adding the region between the Litani and the Zahrani rivers to the broad swathes of Lebanese territory already covered,” UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan warned that these orders “may amount to forced displacement”, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
He stressed that in many instances, Israeli airstrikes “have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban environments, with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together”.
The OHCHR official added that people displaced by the fighting and living in tents along Beirut’s seafront have been hit by airstrikes, while at least 16 medical staff have been killed in recent days.
“Statements by Israeli officials threatening to impose the same level of destruction on Lebanon as inflicted in Gaza are wholly unacceptable,” Al-Kheetan insisted.
“Such rhetoric, coupled with the Israeli military’s announcement that it would deploy additional forces and expand its ground incursion, intensify deep fear and anxiety among the Lebanese population,” he said…..PACNEWS
NZ – IRAN CRISIS/FUEL PRICE: PMN PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Fuel prices bite: Pacific families in NZ feel the strain as government looks at targeted relief
WELLINGTON, 18 MARCH 2026 (PMN)—Pacific families are already feeling the strain of rising fuel prices, even as the Government weighs up targeted help for those most in need.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says support is being worked on for low and middle-income households.
Willis says the focus is on getting help out quickly through the tax and welfare system.
But one charity says Pacific families are already under pressure.
Ana Ika, the Salvation Army’s social policy analyst, says more families, including many from Pacific communities, have asked for help in just the past week.
Treasury has warned inflation could reach 3.7 percent if global oil supply problems continue. Food prices have already risen 4.5 percent over the year to February and now fuel is added to the load.
Speaking on Pacific Mornings, Willis says global events are pushing up oil prices and that is starting to show at the pump.
“It’s likely that will have a flow-on effect to higher prices at the pump at home,” Willis says.
Willis says filling up a car now costs more than $20(US$11.71) extra compared to before the latest fuel shock.
While the government is looking at ways to help, Willis says broad relief measures such as cutting fuel taxes are unlikely. Instead, the focus is on targeted support.
“We really want to target our support for low and middle income workers so we’ve got a number of options through the tax system, through the transfer and welfare system,” she said.
“I’m working with our officials on what would get it to the people who really need it quickly and efficiently.”
Labour’s Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni says many families were already struggling before fuel costs went up, and this is making things worse.
“This is just exacerbating the struggle and the challenges that so many New Zealanders including Pacific New Zealanders are faced with,” Sepuloni told PMN.
The impact is hitting Pacific communities hard. They already face higher unemployment and many households are under financial stress.
For many families, driving is not a choice, it’s a must.
Ika says Pacific workers are often in jobs with early, late, or shift hours where public transport is limited or unavailable.
“They’re dependent on driving to work and so it has a ripple effect into other areas such as housing, such as food, which we’re primarily seeing at the moment.”
She says families in rural areas and those needing regular medical trips are among the hardest hit.
She warns more people may need help if costs keep rising.
Despite the challenges, Ika says Pacific communities are leaning on each other. “Our Pacific communities are really resilient and our Pacific communities are really communal.
“So it’s looking at avenues where we can in our communities, support those who are on the margins of those statistics that we often talk about.
“The reality is that even though we’re talking about numbers here that for our communities, that represents families, that represents stories and that represents children.
“So I think it’s about looking at alternative opportunities to be resilient in the current crisis that we’re facing at the moment and just reaching out for help because that’s a huge barrier for our Pacific communities,” said Ika….PACNEWS
GUAM – IRAN CRISIS/FUEL PRICE: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Gas cartel? Attorney general to launch probe into ‘coordinated’ gas price hike on Guam
HAGATNA, 18 MARCH 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—Raising suspicion about a gas cartel on Guam, Attorney General Douglas Moylan will launch an investigation into the purportedly premature spike in prices at local pumps amid the Middle East crisis that has been threatening global oil supply.
While acknowledging that national emergencies may trigger legitimate price adjustments, Moylan questioned the “timing of the increase in local pricing, the coordination of a price change between merchants, amount of price increase and its duration.”
Moylan wanted to know “when the pricing kicked in” and why the prices spiralled “so quickly while there may have been reserves” purchased at lower rates.
Gas prices on Guam have steadily increased following the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran on 27 February. Local motorists began seeing gas price hikes on 09 March.
“Why did all gas companies increased prices at the same time?” the attorney general asked.
Mobil, Shell and SPPC 76 are Guam’s fuel distributors.
As of this week, regular gas costs US$6.079 a gallon, from the pre-war level, which was US$4.879. Premium went from US$5.269 to US$6.469 a gallon and diesel price rose from US$5.349 to US$8.49 / gallon.
Guam’s gas companies acquire their supply from Singapore, Japan and Korea, according to Energy Information Administration.
The agency said liquid bulk products are typically delivered to the Marine Industrial Terminal via tanker vessels every 20 days.
“These products are then distributed by pipeline from their storage tanks to their loading racks, where the products are loaded into tank trucks and distributed to service stations, as well as commercial and government accounts throughout Guam,” the energy office said.
Moylan sought a closed-door meeting with Guam’s fuel company executives “to discuss this yet unknown, unprecedented increase in consumer gas prices.”
The American Automobile Association reported that global crude oil prices hovered around US$101 per barrel on Monday, marking a staggering 44 percent spike since the Middle East conflict, which now enters its third week.
The gas price spiral was propelled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route responsible for nearly 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade.
Moylan said the round table meeting will seek to determine how the global situation trickles down to local pumps and how gas companies set their prices.
Specifically, Moylan said he wanted to know “where we were before the Iran war in consumer and commercial and government pricing” and “what causes the dramatic increase in prices.”
Moylan is seeking the companies’ full cooperation to help him “understand their situation and circumstances, including what is the usage of Guam consumers,” and “discuss strategies we can assist them with to lower the gas prices for Guam.”…PACNEWS
CNMI – IRAN CRISIS/FUEL PRICE: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 18 Mar 2026
CNMI pump prices range from US$6.36 to US$9.98 a gallon; residents brace for rising consumer costs
SAIPAN, 18 MARCH 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—The CNMI is bracing for prohibitive consumer costs as gas prices continue to surge, driven by global market volatility tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and tightening fuel supplies in Asia.
On Saipan, motorists have seen fuel prices jump to US$6.36 a gallon for regular gasoline, US$6.81 for Supreme and US$8.28 for diesel since the conflict intensified. Mobil Oil Marianas raised its prices first, followed by Shell Marianas.
The increases are even sharper on the neighboring islands. Tinian motorists are now paying US$8.49 per gallon for gasoline and US$9.98 per gallon for diesel, while Rota residents pay US$6.99 per gallon for gasoline and US$9.42 per gallon for diesel.
The latest Mean of Platts Singapore benchmarks—the pricing index used for refined fuel imports across the Pacific—have climbed sharply in recent weeks. Unleaded gasoline has been trading in the mid‑$90s per barrel, while diesel benchmarks have hovered above US$100 per barrel amid refinery disruptions and higher shipping and insurance costs for tankers rerouted around conflict‑affected waters.
For the CNMI, which relies entirely on Singapore‑sourced fuel, rising prices translate directly into higher pump prices and increased operating costs for businesses.
The upward trend is also reflected in regional fuel futures markets. The SGX Platts Singapore Fuel Oil 380cst Index Futures Contract, a key indicator for bunker fuel and utility‑grade fuel oil pricing in Asia, was recently trading at US$482.92.
The elevated futures price signals continued pressure on fuel oil supplies used by power utilities and shipping companies across the region.
For the CNMI, higher futures prices foreshadow increased operating costs that may eventually filter into electricity rates and shipping surcharges once regulatory caps are lifted.
The spike is already affecting small businesses. Bernard Montano, an independent bottled water distributor, said he has been forced to scale back his delivery schedule due to the rising cost of diesel, which powers his delivery truck.
“I called my clients and let them know that delivery schedules now are only Monday to Wednesday because of the recent hike in diesel prices,” Montano said.
He expects other water delivery companies to adjust their operations as well—either by reducing delivery days or raising prices.
Residents are also bracing for the ripple effects.
A Saipan resident, who requested not to be named, said the rising cost of fuel will inevitably push up the price of groceries and other essentials, especially in a remote island chain dependent on imported goods.
“Prices for commodities and grocery items for sure will follow,” the resident said. “Is the minimum wage going to be increased, too? Of course not.”
Historically, the CNMI has seen similar ripple effects whenever global fuel prices surge. During past oil shocks—including the 2008 global price spike, the 2011–2012 Middle East tensions, and the 2022 Russia‑Ukraine conflict—gasoline and diesel increases were quickly followed by higher grocery prices, shipping surcharges, and rising costs for basic commodities.
With the islands dependent on imported goods and diesel‑powered utilities, fuel volatility has consistently led to higher living costs for households and increased operating costs for businesses.
Despite rising fuel costs, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. announced that its fuel adjustment charge will remain at US$0.19706 per kilowatt-hour for March.
The utility agency said the rate would have increased to US$0.22075 per kWh based on current fuel prices, but the utility is prohibited from adjusting the FAC under the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission’s FAC Stabilisation Order, issued 06 March 2025. The order freezes the FAC at its existing level until CUC completes a full reconciliation of fuel costs and submits it to the CPUC for review……PACNEWS
PAC – REMITTANCES: FBC NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Remittances supporting Fiji families
SUVA, 18 MARCH 2026 (FBC NEWS)—Remittances from Fiji’s diaspora in Australia and New Zealand continue to play a vital role in supporting families back home.
WorldRemit Regional Manager, Ana Acha, said the company has seen strong activity from both countries, reflecting the large number of Fijians living and working there.
Acha notes that many overseas rely on digital platforms to send financial support quickly for essential expenses and emergencies.
World Remit notes that some overseas workers are sending money back to Fiji to build homes or invest in small businesses as they prepare for their future return.
“There’s a lot of migrants from Fiji that go to these countries. This is the best way of sending money back home when your family needs it, especially in emergencies, because it’s something that goes directly through the app and it arrives in M-Paisa, in your wallet.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh said that last year remittances surpassed more than a billion dollars.
World Remit says that the growing use of digital platforms reflects the strong connection between Fiji and its diaspora communities….PACNEWS
VAN – TRADE: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 18 Mar 2026
Vanuatu-New Caledonia trade vessel start operations next month
PORT VLA, 18 MARCH 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST)—The Vanuatu government, through the Ministry of Trades, Industry and Tourism, has announced that the new vessel to link trade between Vanuatu and New Caledonia will commence operations next month (April).
The ministry announced this development in a statement following high-level meetings in New Caledonia between Minister Samson Samsen and the leadership of the Compagnie Maritime des Îles (CMI), including its President Philippe Ettwiller and Director General Thomas Quiros.
The vessel, Karaka, will now start operations after more than a year of coordinated engagement between the Governments of Vanuatu and New Caledonia, together with CMI.
“This is a major milestone for Vanuatu,” the Minister said, noting that the new shipping route will strengthen economic ties and improve the movement of goods and services between the two countries.
Minister Samsen was accompanied by senior officials during the high-level visit to New Caledonia including First Political Advisor Marcellino Pipite and Director of Cabinet;Joe Ligo Wilson, Former Acting Director General of the Ministry of Trade Noel Kalo, Director of Industry Lazarus Aising, Manager of Industry Jack Lowanie, Coordinator CSU Atanas Pipite, Chief Executive Officer of the Vanuatu Bureau of Standards and Director of Customs Harold Tarosa.
Vanuatu’s Consul General Serge Alain Mahe, and the Trade Attaché in New Caledonia, Pierre-Henri Macabies were also part of the delegation.
Karaka will play a key role in supporting exports of major commodities such as kava, cocoa and copra, while also enabling the import of goods, machinery and services needed for Vanuatu’s ongoing reconstruction and economic development, according to the ministry.
Officials said the new maritime link will also open opportunities for increased investment, improved logistics, and the expansion of value-added production, positioning Vanuatu as a stronger trading partner in the Pacific.
The Government views the initiative as part of a broader strategy to build economic corridors and strengthen regional integration, with New Caledonia identified as a key market for Vanuatu products.
With the launch of the Karaka, both countries are moving beyond discussions to concrete implementation, setting the stage for increased trade flows, stronger partnerships, and long-term economic growth…. PACNEWS
Women burned at the stake in modern-day witch trial ‘epidemic’
Kevin once led a mob to burn nine ‘sorcerers’. The Telegraph went to Papua New Guinea to find out why accusations persist
By Sarah Newey Global health security correspondent and Simon Townsley Photographer, in Enga
ENGA, 18 MARCH 2026 (THE TELEGRAPH)—Years before he traded guns for the gospel, Kevin Lunga led an armed gang of 77 men known as ‘The Disciples’ on a frenzied witch hunt to round up, torture and burn nine women alive.
Rumours and fear were swirling in the rugged highlands community after a wealthy businessman unexpectedly died. Instead of blaming disease, people were pointing at each other, and it wasn’t long before a woman with skin imperfections was singled out. People said she was a “sanguma” – a sorcerer who had used her powers to steal the man’s heart.
And so Kevin’s crew began their brutal inquisition.
Fuelled by potent drugs, a homebrew known as firewater and the support of a baying mob, they lit a fire, held iron rods to the flames, and used the scorching metal to force a “confession”. Lashed to a stake and in agony, the woman eventually named eight “accomplices” – by the end of the ordeal, four were dead and all were horribly burned.
“Rumours [were] going around – we heard this and we believed it was true, really,” says Kevin, sitting on the latticed floor in his dim hut in Monokam, a village nestled at the bottom of a lush valley in Papua New Guinea’s Enga province. “So, we burned them.”
It’s tempting to think of witch hunts like this as a phenomenon confined to history. Centuries have passed since Matthew Hopkins, England’s self-styled Witchfinder General, threw women into rivers to establish their sorcery or otherwise.
Yet modern iterations of these trials, which academics call sorcery accusation related violence (SARV), still take place around the world. Data is limited, but a UN-commissioned report published in 2023 estimated that at least 20,000 people in 60 countries were accused of witchcraft between 2009 and 2019, from Ghana to India.
“The basic issue here is that human beings, traditionally, are very bad at coping with uncanny misfortune – they really don’t want to believe in bad luck,” says Prof Ronald Hutton, a professor of history at the University of Bristol and author of ‘The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present’.
“There are three entities people blame when they have rotten luck,” he tells the Telegraph. “Number one is angry land spirits, fairies or elves. The second explanation is ghosts, perhaps ancestral spirits whom you’ve annoyed… But by far the most popular explanation of all, across all continents, is that evil is caused by nasty human beings working bad magic.”
Often, though not universally, the accusers are men and the accused are women. But events are almost always linked to social upheaval: Hopkins operated during the English Civil War, a collective hysteria drove the Salem witch trials, and a society in crisis sought easy answers during the Holy Roman Empire – where tens of thousands were burned at the stake.
Throughout history, fearful people have repeatedly looked for convenient culprits and concrete certainties when the world around them shifts. Papua New Guinea today is no different.
Against a backdrop of upheaval, swathes of the largely undeveloped and volatile country have seen the frequency and brutality of witch hunts intensify, according to the limited data available and anecdotal reports.
The culturally diverse and deeply religious Pacific nation is home to at least 10 million people, who speak more than 840 languages. Most live in isolated communities dotted across a picturesque but unforgiving landscape twice the size of the UK.
Beliefs in sorcery and spirituality are not new here, but have varied widely. In some coastal provinces, black magic is practiced by men using rituals and potions; in other highland regions, people believe “embodied cannibalistic spirits” can live inside a woman and extract and eat the organs of others.
In some communities, allegations of sorcery are verified by a traditional ‘Glassman’ who interprets the smoke of burning bamboo; in others charismatic religious leaders known as ‘prayer warriors’ say witchcraft is the work of Satan.
Whatever the case, the belief system is open to dangerous abuse and can rapidly tip into violence. Claims are sometimes motivated by greed or jealousy, but targets are almost always someone on the margins – a widow with little money, a man’s third wife or someone with a disability.
Yet beliefs and accusations are increasingly “moving into places where they didn’t exist before, and narratives around them are changing,” says Prof Miranda Forsyth, the director of the International Network Against Accusations of Witchcraft and Associated Harmful Practices.
A 114-page report on witchcraft, co-authored by Prof Forsyth and published last year, warned that witchcraft was becoming “a crisis situation” in parts of the country, with a “growing degree of torture and sexual abuse associated with such accusations”.
One area that “stands out for the volume and consistency of cases recorded” is the Southern Highlands, a restless region of limestone peaks and rich natural resources.
While data is incomplete, incidence appears to be mounting: the Catholic diocese, which operates a safehouse to help those targeted, recorded 16 incidents of SARV in the region in 2021. In the first nine months of 2024, that figure jumped to 96.
“Every province is different, but this kind of belief didn’t exist here before,” says Dr Cathy Pilang, the formidable principal of a health worker training school linked to the Catholic church in Mendi, a bustling riverside town and the province’s main hub.
Speaking to The Telegraph in the serene grounds of the diocese headquarters, Dr Pilang says the first case she saw in Mendi was almost 15 years ago, when a woman called Christina suffered severe burns after being tortured in public.
A surreal photo of the witch-trial, which is too graphic to publish, shows Christina standing on a raised platform of corrugated iron. She is tied up between two trees by her wrists and ankles, naked save for a blindfold. A large crowd huddled under bright umbrellas watch intently as a man holds an iron rod, fresh out of the fire still burning nearby, to the skin of her face.
The incident was a sign of things to come.
“Probably there were cases before, but they were hidden or less violent and didn’t come to our attention,” says Dr Pilang. “But since 2012 the trend – this thing about sorcery – the false beliefs and accusations, they’ve been increasing. Now we’re seeing many, many cases.”
As if to prove her point, it takes only a few quick phone calls for Dr Pilang to reach three women and a man who have since been accused in the region, including Stella Kapipi.
The mother of four was washing in the river near her home in Kambeyakupukul – a small, dusty village on a hillside high above Mendi – when her brother died suddenly.
While Stella blamed pneumonia, members of her large extended family blamed her. Whispers that she was a sanguma quickly escalated into open accusations: they claimed she’d consumed her brother’s heart by the water’s edge. Their revenge was swift and brutal.
“They took me down to the village and said I had to speak the truth, to confess that I had eaten his heart,” Stella says, gesturing emphatically inside her rundown home. “They started to kick me in the head, I was still holding my child. I was afraid for our lives. I said it was all false but they did not stop.
“Then they started burning me… they burned every single part of my body,” she says.
Like Christina, she was tied to a tree in the village square for two days as her neighbours and relatives used hot iron bars to scorch her legs, stomach and genitalia.
Stella was repeatedly told to identify her accomplices. Eventually, hoping it would ease or end the pain, she started shouting out names at random. But the violence only stopped when a relative with status living in a nearby village intervened.
Years later, her skin bears pale burn marks and she takes daily medication to ease gnawing pain that makes it difficult to move. None of her attackers have faced any repercussions.
“I was afraid to report it – I thought they might kill me,” she says, tears rolling down her cheek as she lights a cigarette. “Even today I prefer to stay in the house, I’m still a bit afraid that some people [suspect me]. And it’s hard to walk, it’s hard to work.”
Horrors like this do not come out of nowhere. Two major social dynamics are providing fertile ground for violence to flourish: structural change and access to new ideas.
“I think of it as an extraordinary human rights crisis, an epidemic driven by poverty, inequality, lack of education and poor health awareness,” says Nick Booth, the Papua New Guinea resident representative for the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), which works on SARV projects part-funded by the UK.
Dramatic population growth since independence from Australia in 1975, widespread corruption and uneven development mean the benefits of Papua New Guinea’s rich natural resources and foreign investment have not trickled down.
The World Bank estimates half of people live on less than US$3 a day (£2.20), while youth unemployment and substance abuse are rising, and services from health to education are lacking. Life expectancy is 65, while national statistics suggest just 35 percent of five to 29 year olds attend school and only 20 percent of people have access to electricity.
“Modernity has brought a transformation that has provided extreme wealth for some people, but it hasn’t really brought development gains for the majority,” Booth says. “Accusations are fuelled by all kinds of things, but feed on the vulnerability of victims, intensifying lawlessness, and this inequality.”
In Monokam, a village at the bottom of a winding dirt road in a deep, mist-coated valley, it was the sudden death of the wealthy “Bossman” that ignited bubbling tensions.
At the time, Kevin and his Disciples saw themselves as heroes. After all, they were taking action both to tackle a malign threat in the village, and restore the businessman’s life by finding and replacing the organ “stolen” by the sanguma. But after a day of horrific violence the man was still dead. Four of the women were too.
“The aim of torturing was not to kill. I didn’t want them to die,” Kevin says. There’s a long pause. “We didn’t like that sorcery existed in our community, in the village. We suspect that a lot of sorcerers [were] living here, practicing it – but if we burned some, it would make others stop.
“Lots of people were encouraging us, even pastors and community leaders,” adds Kevin, who is around 36 years old. “Our minds were disturbed, from all sorts of bad things.”
Kevin’s Disciples were used to solving problems with guns and crossbows. The brazen ‘raskol’ gang was paid handsomely by elites looking to protect their land, mining interests and political seats with force.
Across Papua New Guinea, there is a pervasive atmosphere of lawlessness and violence of all kinds has been normalised. At least 65 percent of women have experienced domestic violence, while eruptions of tribal conflict remain frequent – made all the more deadly by a healthy black market in military-grade weapons.
The country’s justice system is weak and largely relies on a controversial compensation system in village courts, and there are only 6,000 police officers employed to protect 10 million people – a ratio roughly four times lower than the international benchmark for a stable state.
“Society becomes fragile when the institutions meant to support it are undermined by corruption and weak governance,” says Serena Sasingian, a Pacific Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute and a lawyer formerly in Papua New Guinea’s Department of Justice, who worked on SARV legislation.
“As a result we’re seeing the worst form of violence, where people turn on the weakest and there’s a breakdown of trust and relationships within communities,” she adds. “But SARV is not for power, it’s to get rid of a perceived threat. People can’t see their lives improving and think a person is the cause of their downfall – a block to their health, wealth or status.”
Prof Malcolm Gaskill, a historian and author of ‘The Ruin of All Witches’, says that throughout history, these beliefs have been very real – but not intellectual.
“It’s deeply emotional – it’s always about toxic emotions like rage and envy and anxiety,” he says. “To some extent, all witch hunts do resemble one another. Human emotions have not changed that much over the last 500 years, even though the circumstances in which we live are indeed very different.”
In Papua New Guinea, a distinctly modern phenomenon is also exacerbating and morphing witchcraft accusations: social media.
In WhatsApp groups and Facebook feeds, people are posting footage of horrendous public torture which is far too graphic for The Telegraph to publish. But many who see these videos use them as a kind of blueprint for the ‘right’ way to deal with a witch.
“People looking at this are horrified, but there’s also this element of ‘copy-catting’,” says Prof Forsyth, adding that the most extreme violence is now unfolding in areas where witchcraft accusations have only recently emerged.
“It’s like a population hasn’t been inoculated against it. They see these extreme, very violent behavioural scripts online and consider that the ‘necessary’ response.”
Much like the Southern Highlands, beliefs in witchcraft are relatively new to the region where Kevin and his Disciples live. Traditionally, illness and death were attributed to ghosts.
“Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, we started to hear rumours and see sorcery violence reported on the media,” says Kevin. “So, when the ‘bossman’ died, I believed that a sanguma had taken the heart… everybody in the community believed it. We were afraid.”
Having never seen a witch trial, The Disciples turned to videos posted online for guidance.
“Many times we’d seen videos of torture. We copied what we had seen,” Kevin says, dropping his head and breaking his piercing gaze as he described torturing the nine women, including his distant relatives. “That’s how we knew what to do, we practiced what we saw.”
Internal migration is also playing a role in the spread of these ideas. While travel in Papua New Guinea is difficult and expensive, people are increasingly moving for work and marriage, bringing their beliefs with them – including into the coastal capital, Port Moresby.
In Morata, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, Josephine Durua has been running a small safehouse on a shoestring budget since she herself was accused of sorcery in the early 2000s. The corrugated metal shack, which lacks glass windows or running water, is the only shelter for survivors of witchcraft accusations in the sprawling capital.
Once, the majority of accused women who came here had fled from other provinces, but Josephine, who is also a local court magistrate, is increasingly seeing cases emerge closer to home.
“In the city, we come from different provinces – and people bring this custom to the city,” she says, sheltering in the shade under a tree in the lush yard. “Now when people get sick, they go to torture and kill, even here.”
Rising rates of chronic disease – from diabetes to heart attacks – have also contributed to the violence, she adds, while unemployment, alcohol and drugs fuel attacks.
“People are not looking after their good health, or don’t have a doctor nearby. Then, when someone dies, the question is ‘who killed them?’, not ‘what killed them’.
“I’m concerned for my people and my country when I see all these things happening,” she adds. “We say we’re a Christian country, but I think many people who go to Church will go to hell.”
Those working to tackle the deep-rooted issues that drive accusations of witchcraft face major hurdles.
“There’s this big development deficit in many parts of the country… and turning that around needs much bigger action. Until we do, there’s going to be fertile ground for this kind of abuse to get worse,” says Mr Booth, the UNDP’s representative.
“We need community leaders’ support, and we need provincial governors and administrators and health workers and church leaders to speak out and act against this. The fact is, there’s not nearly enough of that happening.”
But he adds that cause for hope can be found even in Enga, where Kevin led his Disciples on their witch hunt.
The Catholic Church, unlike some other denominations, has been vocal in its condemnation of witchcraft allegations. In Enga their approach is bearing fruit: between February and December last year, there were no torture cases triggered by sorcery accusations, according to the Bishop of Wabag, Justin Soongie.
“A few years back, every time we had a death there was a suspicion of sorcery,” he says in an office crammed with books across from the colourful cathedral. “But we have targeted 2027 to be a year without SARV in our province, that is our vision, and I am optimistic.”
Previously the church focused on rescuing victims, treating their injuries and providing shelter. They also worked on facilitating a safe reintegration into communities for survivors, sometimes with small grants to set up new income streams.
But the clergy soon grew frustrated at a culture of impunity that allowed violence to flourish.
The minimal police presence and weak legal system meant few arrests were made, even after the introduction of the landmark Glassman Act in 2022, which criminalised the witch doctors and prayer warriors who identify sorcerers. According to local media, 14 people had been prosecuted by December 2025, with 134 perpetrators in custody.
“Implementation is very poor,” says Bishop Soongie. “I have heard of successful prosecutions in other provinces, but in Enga nobody has been prosecuted, and even the few who were arrested escaped from jail. “That is the reason we changed our strategy to advocacy… we have to be proactive to prevent this from happening in the first instance.”
Through Caritas, the Catholic aid organisation, the church launched a training advocacy programme, sending volunteers into communities to “de-mythologise” sorcery and explain illness in scientific terms. Working with the perpetrators of violence – especially young men abusing drugs and alcohol – is a priority.
After a difficult childhood and more than a decade at the helm of a ‘raskol’ gang, it was this programme which transformed Kevin’s life.
“Slowly, slowly, my mind changed after going to the workshops and training. Now I know I was wrong, I feel so ashamed of what I did,” he says from the back of a 4×4.
A sudden downpour has turned a steep dirt road into a slippery mire, but at the top of the hill is a blue cross adorned with a homemade gun. The rudimentary monument was built to mark the moment in 2023 when the Disciples disbanded, burned their weapons (the “smell was terrible”), and renounced both marijuana and firewater.
“It is a symbol of us giving up that lifestyle,” Kevin says, gesturing at the simple wooden cross. “When I tell other people about my story, I always say that what I practiced was not good. I took other people’s lives for no reason.”
No longer guns-for-hire, the young men now make money through a trade store, poultry farm and vegetable garden. Kevin, who was baptised by Bishop Soongie, has also become a Caritas volunteer, and leads the very workshops that changed his mind.
But perhaps the most remarkable element of Kevin’s story isn’t really about Kevin at all.
Bennie Oposki was one of the eight alleged accomplices named – and tortured – in the witch-trial he led seven years ago.
“What happened lingers in my mind now, even though I cannot really remember the specifics,” says Bennie, a slight woman in a beanie hat.
Her husband’s other wife, a woman called Lucy, was one of the four who died at the stake, and as a result she now looks after 15 children. And yet Bennie has somehow been able to forgive Kevin and his gang.
“I am a Christian, and so I forgave them,” she says, sitting in the smoke by an open fire in a long, dark village hut. “I am also thankful to God, I am still alive because of him.”
In some ways, she had no choice. In many other communities Bennie would have been the one shunned, and in the absence of any substantive justice system the Disciples were unlikely to spend any time behind bars.
Instead, the men paid the five survivors compensation in the form of cash and pigs – a controversial system which critics say reinforces a cycle of consequence-free violence.
Still, whether Bennie really has forgiven Kevin was unclear until, as the interview nears an end, he enters through the hut’s low doorway. Bennie doesn’t flinch but smiles as he sits down opposite her. They say they often drink tea together.
“I can see how the perpetrators, like Kevin, are upset that they did it,” she says. “And I can see how those perpetrators were not in their right mind at that time, they had too much alcohol, too much drugs. I can forgive them because they have changed.”
The former witch hunter and one of the women he burned at the stake, together by a smouldering fire – in Papua New Guinea, this might just be the closest any survivor gets to closure. …PACNEWS