Civil war veterans speak of their trauma decades later | The Pacific | ABC News

The Bougainville Revolutionary Army, or BRA fought a separatist guerilla war against Papua New Guinea beginning in the late 1980s. Tensions erupted over Australian company Rio Tinto’s massive profits from the Panguna gold and copper mine. The conflict grew into a broader war over land, resources and identity. A seven-year blockade cut off essential supplies and up to 15,000 people died. A peace agreement signed with Papua New Guinea in 2001 paved the way for Bougainville’s 2019 independence referendum. Watch the full episode ‘From bloody past to possibly the world’s newest country’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ny5H422ha4 Reporter: Marian Faa Producer/Camera: Gabriella Marchant Producer: Theckla Gunga #ABCThePacific Watch The Pacific on ABC Australia or on ABC iView: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/pacific Like ABC Pacific on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCPacific Follow ABC Pacific on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abcpacific/ For more from ABC Pacific news, click here: https://www.abc.net.au/pacific Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Read more here: Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNEWS #ABCNEWSAustralia