MPs in PNG to decide on ratifying a 2019 referendum in which Bougainvilleans voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence
For decades, the distant island of Bougainville has fought for secession from Papua New Guinea, for a future as an independent nation of its own.
This week, that long-running aspiration faces further challenge, with PNG’s parliament slated to debate the ratification of Bougainville’s 2019 UN-sanctioned referendum, in which nearly 98% of Bougainvilleans voted for independence.