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Cease Fire: Bougainville Peace Agreement

Implementations

Cease Fire – 2001

A confrontation between PNG defense force soldiers and youth from Ieta village occurred during a dance on December 19, 2001. Both soldiers and Ieta youth reportedly discharged shots. The confrontation, however, was not serious enough to be a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement.¹

“Papua New Guinea: Ex-combatants threaten to halt arms handover,” BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, December 19, 2001.

Cease Fire – 2002

The ceasefire and Peace Monitoring Group were set in place. The 1998 ceasefire was not breached in any manner that threatened the peace process. According to the Hon. Sir Moi Avei, Minister for Bougainville Affairs (Papua New Guinea), “The commitment to the goal of peace by peaceful means displayed by ex-combatants meant that they put away many guns — and helped to convince the [Papua New Guinea] National Parliament to give their support — before the Bills to give legal effect to the Bougainville Peace Agreement were put to the vote.”¹

Moi Avei, “Making, Building and Sustaining Peace by Peaceful Means,” 2002, In “Weaving Consensus: The Papua New Guinea – Bougainville Peace Process”, ed. Andy Carl and Sr. Lorraine Garasu, Accord (12): http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/png-bougainville/making-buildiing-sus…, accessed December 1, 2010.

Cease Fire – 2003

As international peacekeepers were withdrawn from Bougainville (on July 2, 2003), armed militia members, who wanted full independence, threatened to resume violence (Source: Bougainville Hardliners Threaten to Disrupt Fragile Peace in Papua New Guinea, World Market Research Center, World Markets Analysis, July 03, 2003). No violence occurred and the ceasefire was maintained.