A man has died following a massive clash between armed aboriginals in a remote aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.
Police said the responded to multiple reports of large-scale fighting in Milingimbi, an island off Arnhem Land about 450km east of Darwin, between 2.09pm and 3.53pm on Tuesday.
Some people involved in the fighting were alleged armed with edged weapons, and when police arrived they found a 26-year-old male “deceased with injuries”.
The fighting has since ceased an additional officers have been deployed to the area, police said.
Noticer News understands the fight may have been sparked by the illegal kava trade.
Acting commander Mark Grieve revealed on Wednesday the victim was found with a puncture wound to his back, but police were yet to make any arrests.
He said there had been a “build up” of unrest between families in the community, and the violence had erupted either during or right after a town meeting held to try to resolve the issues.
“It’s really early days in regards to trying to reconstruct events and what the reasonings were behind everyone’s behaviour,” he said, but admitted investigators would face challenges trying to get locals to come forward.
“We’re going to be heavily reliant on our cultural reform command to do a lot of liaising with the community to make some insight into those enquiries.”
Header image: Milingimbi from the air (Milingimbi Community Education Centre).
