Papua New Guinea:

Cannibalism anecdote rejected by Biden

US President Joe Biden(Bild: AP)

A few days ago, US President Joe Biden caused a stir with an anecdote about his uncle. He is said to have been eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea (see video above). The head of government there has now denied this. Sometimes there are "moments of confusion", said James Marape.

However, relations between the two countries are stronger than "a blurred moment." Biden reportedly said last week that his uncle had been eaten by cannibals during the Second World War. "He was shot down over New Guinea, and they never found his body because there really were a lot of cannibals in that part of New Guinea," the US president said at a campaign appearance in the US state of Pennsylvania.

US President Joe Biden(Bild: AP)

Uncle died in plane crash
Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre explained that Biden's uncle Abrose Finnegan had died in a plane crash off New Guinea in 1944. The plane had to make an emergency landing in the water off the coast of the island. The plane hit the surface of the sea hard. The next day, neither the missing plane nor the three crew members could be found.

Kohl mistaken for Merkel
Biden had recently caused a stir with repeated mix-ups. For example, the 81-year-old confused the late former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the late French head of state François Mitterrand with the incumbent Emmanuel Macron. However, the US president has always rejected the concerns expressed due to his advanced age.

Papua New Guinea's head of government said on Monday that he had met Biden a total of four times so far. However, there had never been any talk of cannibals in connection with his country. Instead, they had talked about the disposal of unexploded ordnance from the Second World War.

Historically, cannibalism has been documented among a few tribes in remote parts of Papua New Guinea. The country has been trying to get rid of this image for decades.