Sir Michael Somare is fighting to stay in power. Picture: AFP� Source: The Australian
PAPUA New Guinea's deputy prime minister has given mutinous soldiers who seized the Murray Barracks in Port Moresby less than three hours to clear out or face the full force of the law.
Belden Namah, deputy to Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, has declared Sir Michael Somare is insane after it was revealed the former prime minister had ordered former army colonel Yaura Sasa to oust Brigadier-General Francis Agwi and take control of the armed forces.
Colonel Sasa told reporters in Commander Agwi's office today he was giving Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio seven days to reinstate Sir Michael under a court order, saying the leadership stand-off should only then be sorted out on the floor of parliament.
But Mr Namah, who ousted Somare with Mr O'Neill and 70 of the 109 MPs in PNG's single house of parliament, is standing firm.
"Somare has now lost the total respect of the country he fought for independence (for)," he said.
"He was the chief minister, the first prime minister. He is the grand chief.
"I want to say this to Somare: You have lost your mind. You have lost total control of yourself. You have lost your mind. You have lost sanity."
Mr Namah said 15 of the 30 men loyal to Sasa and Somare had been arrested, but those numbers cannot be verified.
He said the army officers had until "4.06pm" - the traditional knock-off time for PNG's civil service - to give himself over to authorities or face the full force of the law.
Mr O'Neill has not been heard from on Thursday, although AAP understands he has been in contact with the Australian High Commission.
Asked where the prime minister was, Mr Namah said he was "still working" and gestured in the direction of parliament.
The events, which began in the early hours of this morning, are the culmination of more than a month of political stalemate in PNG.
Four months after he was dumped by a parliamentary vote of 70 to 24, the Supreme Court of PNG reinstated the Somare government in mid-December.
However, the majority of parliamentarians loyal to Mr O'Neill refused to serve with the 75-year-old Sir Michael and voted to end his 43-year political career as the member for east Sepik.
The army, civil service and police fell in behind Mr O'Neill, leaving Sir Michael and his roughly 20 supporters to operate out of the Ela Beach Hotel in Port Moresby.
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