Bougainville independence process

PNG parliament to consider Bougainville region's bid for independence

The Papua New Guinea parliament began consideration of a 2019 referendum in which 97.7% of voters in the autonomous region of Bougainville supported secession. This process followed years of negotiations between the national and regional governments to address the independence movement's long-standing grievances regarding revenue from the Panguna copper and gold mine and a past decade-long civil war. Bougainville leaders targeted greater self-government by September 2027 and full sovereignty by 2030, though the national parliament has not announced a date for a ratification vote.