Bougainville Conflict

The office was established by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) with the technical support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

This significant milestone marks a crucial step toward addressing the issue of persons who went missing during the Bougainville Conflict and providing solace to affected families.

May 17 is a gazetted public holiday for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The date was originally the date that the late revolutionary leader Francis Ona declared a Unilateral Declaration of Independence for Bougainville.

It has since become Bougainville’s Remembrance Day.

In Arawa Town, Central Bougainville, former commanders of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army gathered to remember and pay tribute to their fallen comrades and those that lost their lives during the 10-year civil war on Bougainville.