| Accession Number | P04580.063 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Maker |
Bohane, Ben |
| Place made | Pacific Islands: Solomon Islands, Bougainville, South Bougainville |
| Date made | 1996 |
| Conflict |
Period 1990-1999 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
A group of heavily armed Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers move along a jungle path ...
Description
A group of heavily armed Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers move along a jungle path in southwest Bougainville, during the civil war. The previous day, a Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) unit moved in close to a nearby village and shot dead a 12 year old boy on his way home from the gardens. The PNGDF patrols with their local allies, members of the Bougainville Resistance Force (BRF). The BRF was founded to oppose the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, the main separatist force which declared the independence of Bougainville from PNG in 1990 after PNG forces withdrew from the country. Following a period of anarchy the PNG forces returned to areas of Bougainville where they had local support. The BRF opposes the idea of a future independent Bougainville dominated by the BRA which is comprised mostly of members of the Nasioi ethnic group. Australia became involved in peacekeeping activities on Bougainville in 1994, when it provided logistic support to the South Pacific Peace Keeping Force (SPPKF) whose role it was to provide a secure environment for the Bougainville Peace Conference.