Displacing the Displaced: Two-Mile Hill and Port Moresby’s Housing Crisis

The recent eviction from Two-Mile Hill, displacing twelve hundred residents of the Rabiagini settlement, is yet another stark example of Port Moresby's deepening housing crisis. This state-sanctioned removal, part of a pattern of evictions, does not solve the problem; it merely shifts it, forcing families into already strained settlements that are themselves slated for future demolition. This cycle underscores the profound housing insecurity plaguing our capital, intertwined with escalating violence and a failure of urban policy.

Port Moresby is witnessing an unprecedented surge in urban squatter settlements, a direct consequence of rapid rural-urban migration and a critical shortage of formal housing. Over half the city's population now resides in these informal communities, often established on state-owned land as people seek to recreate familiar village structures and reconnect with social networks. These are not simply shanties; they are communities where residents have, out of necessity, established their own services, including often illicit power and water connections. They are a testament to resilience in the face of systemic neglect.

However, these settlements are increasingly demonized, targeted by the National Capital District Governor and amplified by traditional and social media. Settlements are stereotyped as crime havens, and their residents are unfairly branded as criminals. This rhetoric, often lacking solid data, fuels the marginalization of a population struggling with record unemployment. When a few entry-level jobs are advertised, thousands queue for hours, highlighting the desperation for income needed to access formal housing. The threat of violent eviction looms constantly, trapping residents in a precarious existence despite decades of community building within these settlements.