The Possible Newest Country

It's been more than 10 years since the independence of the newest UN member, South Sudan. Since South Sudan's independence, the world map hasn't had too many changes, but a new country might pop up...

Several reasons why Bougainville wants to leave Papua New Guinea is because of an ethnic difference, with many Bougainvillers identifying more with the Solomon Islands instead of Papua New Guinea. Also, Bougainville is incredibly rich in natural resources, and many of those resources were taken out of the island and brought to the mainland. Bougainvillers claim their land was used without their consent and it didn't benefit them.

This is not the first time that Bougainville tried to gain independence though. In 1975, when Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia, Bougainville tried to gain independence, but it was not recognized globally, and Bougainville ended up being a part of Papua New Guinea. The second time was in 1990, when an 8 year long civil war started. Papua New Guinea also set up a blockade preventing any food or medicine reaching Bougainville. The blockade was lifted in 1994, but the war only ended in 1998.

Between November 23rd and December 7th of 2019, Bougainville held a referendum to see if their citizens wanted independence. Here are the results

As you can see, there is an overwhelming 98% of voters that wanted independence for Bougainville. A percentage too high to be ignored. The Papua New Guinea government and Bougainville have, as of 2021, come to an agreement that the region will gain independence in 2027.

In terms of allies, Bougainville will likely choose Australia and New Zealand, and both the US and China are eyeing Bougainville, so the countries could make economic partnerships. The US embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, congratulated Bougainville and Papua New Guinea for a "well run and peaceful referendum process".

The day Bougainville gains independence is getting closer, and the world will surely change as that day comes. The referendum for Bougainville independence has shown a change in independence in modern history. Despite the bloody conflict fought in Papua New Guinea in the 1990s, it's a good step to try and gain independence through peace and diplomacy, and not through violence and bloodshed. Thank you for reading this blog, and I hope to see you in 6 years when Bougainville hopefully becomes independent.