By the PMC news desk
A renegade retired colonel who claimed to have seized control of Papua New Guinea’s military today in a bid to restore court-ordered Sir Michael Somare’s prime ministership has surrendered tonight in the country’s political crisis.
Military sources said Colonel Yaura Sasa's mutineers had surrendered, according to the blog of prominent journalist Malum Nalu.
This was confirmed by former PNG Defence Force officer Reg Renagi.
“I just spoke to my inner circle military contacts within defence headquarters now,” Renagi told Nalu.
“Things have quietened down now.
“General Francis Agwi’s office keys have been returned to him.
“The renegade soldiers have also returned their arms back to their superiors.
‘Simmering down’
“The situation within Murray Barracks is simmering down down so all’s well, ends well.”
Colonel Sasa had earlier told reporters in Port Moresby that soldiers under his control had fired several shots this morning as about 30 mutineers stormed the barracks at Taurama in Port Moresby and took Defence Force commander Brigadier-General Agwi hostage under house arrest.
The former defence attache to Indonesia claimed the action was “not a military takeover” or mutiny, but said he had been appointed commander by former Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare who was last month declared the legitimate national leader by the Supreme Court.
This afternoon non-government organisation activist Noel Anjo gave Colonel Sasa and his mutineers 24 hours to step down or he would organise a protest march by NGOs and the public to Murray Barracks.
“I call on the renegade government to stop what they are doing,” he told state-run NBC radio.
Radio Australia tonight reported the parliamentary recognised prime minister, Peter O’Neill, as saying the mutineers had left the barracks and Colonel Sasa was being “dealt with”.
Court orders return of Somare to power
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand License.
Pacific Scoop
