SI Government plans Bougainville and PNG reconciliation

The Sogavare-led Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) Government vows to reconcile with neighbouring Papua New Guinea and Autonomous Region of Bougainville for the incidents during the Bougainville Civil War.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare told LOOP PNG resolving past differences is the only path to true peace and security in the border regions.

“We have the Bougainvilleans also here, they come as observers, and we look at how we can do peace building on the border between PNG and Solomon Islands a bit better and in a way that can promote and harness peace among our people,” Sogavare said.

Bougainville civil war, the largest conflict in Oceania since WWII, raged for a decade from 1988, with thousands of lives lost.

Prime Minister Sogavare said it also saw serious skirmishes with Solomon Islands border police on the PNG/Solomon Islands border, including several unauthorised crossings by Papua New Guinea military personnel into Solomon Islands in search of Bougainvillean militants.

The Solomon Islands Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace adds they have completed a week of national reconciliation  ceremonies for Solomon Islands  own ethnic crisis  in 1998, now want to pursue reconciliation with PNG and Bougainville.

Author: 
Elliot Dawai