PNG's Bougainville leader sees independence by 2027: Video

Bougainville, a copper- and gold-rich region of Papua New Guinea, is preparing to declare independence by 2027, eight years after a decisive 97.7% vote in favor of secession during a 2019 referendum. The region, home to about 300,000 people and a vast but inactive copper and gold mine, has long sought autonomy. The independence vote was part of a 2001 peace agreement that ended a brutal decade-long war between Bougainville rebels, Papua New Guinea security forces, and foreign mercenaries, a conflict that claimed up to 20,000 lives. However, some analysts caution that Papua New Guinea may not readily agree to Bougainville’s independence, raising uncertainties about the timeline for secession.