Vanuatu's National Council of Chiefs says it's still trying to facilitate talks between chiefs from neighbouring provinces in Santo to solve growing tensions there.
Santo chiefs recently ordered members of the Ulas family out of the province after increasing concern among Lugainville residents about their allegedly violent behaviour.
The Ulas family, which numbers around 50, arrived on Santo more than two generations ago from Paama in Malampa province and that is where they have been directed to return.
The secretary General of the National Council, Selwyn Garu, says that on their recent trip to Santo to address the dispute, it was clear that Chiefs from Santo and Malampa are now at loggerheads.
"The chiefs of Santo were not really on speaking terms with the Chiefs from Paama so we decided to leave things as they are for the time being and come back to Vila to try and approach the issue again from a different angle. We could see the potential impact of what could be if the demands of the Santo Chiefs is met."
Selwyn Garu says ordering a whole family from Santo could prove a dangerous precedent for Vanuatu.
