Dozens killed and thousands displaced in election fighting in Papua New Guinea, UN says

Voters cast their votes at a polling station in the general elections in Papua New Guinea's capital city Port Moresby. Photograph: Andrew Kutan/AFP/Getty Images

Dozens of people have been killed in Papua New Guinea during a tense few weeks of voting during the country’s elections, along with reports of sexual abuse, including of children, and 3,000 people displaced due to conflict, the UN has warned.

The warning comes after 18 people were allegedly killed in a gruesome attack on Wednesday by warring tribes in Porgera, Enga Province, in the north of the Highlands region.