United Nations Evaluation of Weapons Disposal on Bougainville
United Nations Evaluation of Weapons Disposal on Bougainville
November-December 2012
Table of Contents
List of Acronyms
Map of Papua New Guinea
Map of Bougainville
IIntroduction
1Terms of Reference
2Evaluation Methodology
2.1Purpose
2.2Scope
2.3Key interlocutors
2.4Human resources
2.5Timeframe
3Acknowledgements
4Constraints
IIIFindings
5Initial observations
5.1Public awareness
5.2Attitude of BRA and BRF ex-combatants
5.3Weapons control as a law-and-order issue
5.4Monetization of reconciliation and weapons disposal
5.5Attitudes towards the United Nations
6Distribution of weapons
6.1Presence of weapons in Bougainville
6.1.1Residual crisis weapons
6.1.2World War II weapons
6.1.3Trafficked weapons
6.1.4Police weapons
6.2Holders of weapons and their motivations for holding them
6.2.1Weapons holders
6.2.2Motivations
7Impact of weapons
7.1Community peace and security
7.1.1Alcohol and drug abuse
7.1.2Domestic and community-level disputes
7.2Law enforcement
7.3Status and role of women
7.4Sorcery-related killings
8Perception of weapons
9Capacity to address weapons disposal
9.1Weapons disposal activities since 2005
9.2Peacebuilding
9.3Engagement with Mekamui Factions
9.4Engagement with ex-combatants
9.5Policy development
IVConclusions and recommendations
Raise awareness of the provisions of the Peace Agreement
Sustainably advance post-crisis reconciliation
Bring all factions under the umbrella of the Peace Agreement
Re-empower women as agents of peacemaking
Strengthen law enforcement
Strengthen border controls with the Solomon Islands
Disrupt arms trafficking groups operating in Bougainville
Seek and facilitate international assistance to “clean up” Torokina
Instigate an intensive, coordinated second round of weapons disposal
Principal reference materials
Annex 1: Programme of Evaluation Meetings
Annex 2: Evaluation Terms of Reference
Annex 3: Evaluation Methodology
List of Acronyms
ABGAutonomous Bougainville Government
ARBAutonomous Region of Bougainville
AXOAbandoned Explosive Ordnance
BETABougainville Ex-combatants’ Trust Account
BFFBougainville Freedom Fighters
BPABougainville Peace Agreement
BPSBougainville Police Service
BRABougainville Revolutionary Army
BRFBougainville Resistance Force
CAPCivilian Auxiliary Police
ERWExplosive Remnants of War
GoPNGGovernment of Papua New Guinea
ISACSInternational Small Arms Control Standards
JJJungle Juice (Homebrew)
JSBJoint Supervisory Body
LLGLocal Level Government
LNGLiquefied Natural Gas
MDFMekamui Defense Force
MGUMekamui Government of Unity
NCOBANational Coordinating Office for Bougainville Affairs
OPMFree Papua Movement (OrganisasiPapua Merdeka)
PMGPeace Monitoring Group
PNGPapua New Guinea
PNGDFPapua New Guinea Defense Force
RAMSIRegional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands
UNUnited Nations
UNDPUnited Nations Development Programme
UNDPAUnited Nations Department of Political Affairs
UNOMBUnited Nations Observer Mission in Bougainville
UNPOBUnited Nations Political Office in Bougainville
UXOUnexploded Ordnance
WILMOWisai Liberation Movement
Map of Papua New Guinea
Map of Bougainville
1
United Nations Evaluation of Weapons Disposal on Bougainville
IIntroduction
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) (former North Solomons Province) is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Following years of conflict, the Government of PNG (GoPNG) and Bougainville actors signed the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) in 2001. In addition to providing a legal base for the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), the Agreement addressed issues of political significance, including weapons disposal, autonomy, and a referendum on the political status of Bougainville.
According to the Agreement, a referendum on Bougainville’s political future will include the option of a separate independence for Bougainville; with the final outcome subject to ratification by the Parliament of PNG (BPA, 2001: 58). The referendum is subject to compliance with good governance and weapons disposal (as per the weapons disposal plan developed with ex-combatants and contained in the Resolution on Weapons Disposal of May 2001 (BPA, 2001: 63-66).
The United Nations Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB), established in August 1998 to monitor the implementation of the Lincoln and Arawa Agreements[1], was entrusted with supervising the implementation of the weapons disposal plan to be executed in three stages: (1) collection and secure storage of weapons in containers by unit commanders, (2) delivery of weapons to company commanders and storage in containers under UNPOB supervision with the latter holding one of the two keys of the containers, and (3) decision on the final fate of the weapons and certification by UNPOB on whether the security of weapons is conducive to holding elections.
On 30 July 2003, UNPOB certified the completion of Stage II of weapons disposal, paving the way for the PNG government to make fully operational the constitutional amendments on elections, the establishment of an autonomous Bougainville government and on the holding of a referendum on the future political status of the autonomous region. In December 2003, the parties agreed to destroy all contained weapons. With the completion of UNPOB’s mandate, the UN Observer Mission in Bougainville (UNOMB) was established in December 2003 to finish the outstanding tasks of UNPOB. In May 2005, UNOMB determined that a substantial level of compliance by the parties with the implementation of the Weapons Disposal Plan had been achieved, and that, consequently, elections could be held as planned. Subsequently, on 20 May – 2 June 2005 the first Bougainville general elections were held.
Despite these achievements, it was agreed that a major obstacle to the full achievement of weapons disposal in Bougainville under the Weapons Disposal Plan was the non-involvement of the Mekamui Defense Force (MDF) in the peace process. According to a United Nations report, “the Bougainville parties believe that ex-combatants associated with the MDF have played a role in the de-containment of collected weapons” (UNPOB, 2003: 2). While attempts were made to ensure the MDF’s commitment to the peace process, these efforts ultimately failed and to this day the MDF remains outside the peace framework.
1Terms of Reference
In October 2012, on behalf of the Bougainville Referendum Committee, (a joint Working Committee between the Government of PNG and the ABG) the Government of PNG requested the UN to conduct a thorough assessment of the state of weapons disposal on Bougainville. The requested scope included looking at the areas of security, historical perspective, geography and government. The Key focus areas included: arms presence and movement, arms collection, threats of WW II relics, cross-border issues, current law and order situation, enforcement, parliament’s capacity to enact relevant laws on enforcement, traditional power systems and community peace and order enforcement mechanisms and the nature of political space for involving factions in decision-making.
The Government of PNG also requested the UN to provide clarity in terms of public perceptions on arms and security in general, as well as, evidence-based data on arms distribution. Based on the findings, the UN assessment mission was requested to write a report and provide recommendations on the way forward, including what needs to be done in order to strengthen community capacity for trust/confidence-building and government capacity for security enforcement mechanisms. The Terms of Reference prepared by the Bougainville Referendum Committee are contained in Annex 2.
2Evaluation Methodology
2.1Purpose
As specified in the Terms of Reference prepared by the Bougainville Referendum Committee (see Annex 2), the purpose of the evaluation was to “evaluate the state of weapons disposal on Bougainville and provide recommendations on next steps.” Prior to deployment, the evaluators drafted an outline methodology (see Annex 3)for the conduct of the evaluation, which was endorsed by the Chief Secretary of the Government of PNG (GoPNG) and by the Chief Administrator of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) at the commencement of the evaluation mission (on 20 and 23 November 2012, respectively).
2.2Scope
The technical scope of the evaluation encompassed small arms, light weapons and their ammunition in Bougainville, regardless of their time or method of manufacture, by whom they are held or for what purposes they are used.
Table 1 – Technical Scope of the Evaluation
Small Arms / any man-portable lethal weapon designed for individual use that expels or launches, is designed to expel or launch, or may be readily converted to expel or launch a shot, bullet or projectile by the action of an explosiveNOTEIncludes, inter alia, revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, sub-machine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns, as well as their parts, components and ammunition.
Light Weapons / any man-portable lethal weapon designed for use by two or three persons serving as a crew (although some may be carried and used by a single person) that expels or launches, is designed to expel or launch, or may be readily converted to expel or launch a shot, bullet or projectile by the action of an explosive
NOTEincludes, inter alia, heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti- tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, and mortars of a calibre of less than 100 millimetres, as well as their parts, components and ammunition.
Ammunition / the complete round or its components, including cartridge cases, primers, propellant powder, bullets or projectiles, that are used in small arms or light weapons
NOTEIncludes
•cartridges (rounds) for small arms and light weapons;
•explosive shells, grenades and missiles for light weapons; and
•mobile containers with missiles or shells for anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems.
Source of definitions: International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS), Module 01.20 – Glossary of terms, definitions and abbreviations –
The geographical scope of the evaluation encompassed the islands of Buka and Bougainville. The evaluators visited 10 of the 11 Local Level Government (LLG) areas on these islands and collected data from the remaining District (Kunua) by interviewing a delegation of Council of Elders Chairmen from Kunua at a consultation held in Talena (Buka District). Due to time constraints, the evaluators were not able to visit the island Districts of Nissanand Atolls.
Table 2 – Geographic Scope of the Evaluation[2]
District / Local Level Government / Town/Constituency / Community Consultations / Focus Group Discussions / Key Informant Interviews
North / Atolls
Buka / Buka / √ / √
Haku / √ / √
Halia / √ / √
Gogohe / √ / √
Kunua / (1)[3]
Nissan / (1)[4]
Selau/Suir / Siarra / √ / √ / √
Talena / √ / √
Tinputz / Tinputz / √ / √
Central / Arawa-Kieta / Arawa / √ / √ / √
Rorovana / √
Koromira / √
Morotana / √
Panguna / Panguna / √ / √
Wakunai / Wakunai / √ / √
South / Bana / Bolawe / √ / √
Lato / √ / √
Buin / Buin / √ / √ / √
Tabago / √ / √
Siwai / Panakei / √ / √ / √
Tonu / √ / √
Torokina / Koiari / √ / √
Torokina / √ / √ / √
2.3Key interlocutors
At the outset of their mission, the evaluators consulted in Port Moresby with high-level officials of the PNG Government, including the Chief Secretary, Ministers, the Department of the Prime Minister, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Electoral Commissioner and the National Coordinating Office for Bougainville Affairs (NCOBA).
On their arrival in Buka, Bougainville, the evaluators consulted with high-level officials of the Autonomous Bougainville Government, including the President, Ministers, members of the Bougainville House of Representatives, the Chief Administrator and Deputy Chief Administrators, Chief Executive Officers of ABG Divisions and Departments and District-level Executive Managers.
During the course of their mission, the evaluators collected information, data and documentation from the following key interlocutors (the full evaluation programme is contained in Annex 1):
- Regional, district and local-level ABG government officials;
- The Head of the Bougainville Police Service (BPS), BPS officers, the Head of the New Zealand Police Bougainville Programme and Civilian Auxiliary Police (CAP) officers;
- Healthcare providers (local and international);
- Traditional authorities, including Chiefs, Elders and their Councils;
- Community leaders;
- Ex-commanders and ex-combatants of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), the Bougainville Resistance Force (BRF), the Mekamui Defense Force (MDF) and other factions, including Bougainville Freedom Fighters (BFF), Struggling for Peace and the Wisai Liberation Movement (WILMO);
- Civil society organizations (including women’s organizations, faith-based organizations and youth organizations);
- the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG and the UNDP Bougainville Programme; and
- PNG development partners Australia and New Zealand.
In each District visited, the evaluators conducted one or more community consultations with gatherings of between 50 and 250 people, representing a cross-section of the community; separate focus-group discussions with chiefs, women, ex-combatants, youth, church groups, health workers, police and local government officials; and key informant interviews with community leaders and organizers. In total, the evaluators interacted with more than 1,000 Bougainvilleans during the course of the evaluation. The full programme of community consultations, focus group discussions and key informant interviews conducted by the evaluators is contained in Annex 1.
2.4Human resources
The evaluation was carried out jointly by the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (UNDPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNDPA deployed a former staff member with extensive knowledge and experience of Bougainville affairs, especially as they relate to weapons disposal. UNDP deployed a staff member with expertise on political and technical aspects of small arms and light weapons control.
2.5Timeframe
The evaluation was carried out between 17 November and 16 December 2012, following which the evaluators presented their preliminary findings to the ABG and GoPNG before departing PNG.
3Acknowledgements
The evaluators received invaluable support from the Government of PNG, the ABG, the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG, the UNDP Bougainville Programme and the people of Bougainville. The community consultations, focus group discussions and key informant interviews carried out by the evaluators, as well as logistical arrangements, were organized by the ABG with the support of UNDP.
4Constraints
Although the evaluation team received excellent support from the partners and interlocutors set out above, the following constraints may have limited the reliability of the data collected during the course of the evaluation mission, as well as the ability of the evaluation team to present its findings in the most effective way possible:
- The evaluation team did not manage to conduct a community consultation in the Panguna Local Level Government (LLG) areaand thus did not have the opportunity of conduct focus group discussions with Chiefs, women and youth in this strategically important area.
- The findings on arms trafficking into, within and out of Bougainville are largely based on a small number of anonymous sources with limited, albeit direct, access to Bougainville-based arms trafficking groups. Given the opaque nature of illicit trade, information related to arms trafficking presented in this report should be considered as indicative only.
- The evaluation team did not manage, despite the best efforts and good will of all concerned, to meet with Vice President Patrick Nisira. Given the leading role being played by Vice President Nisira in developing a strategy to advance weapons disposal in Bougainville, this was an unfortunate shortcoming of the mission.
- Due to Parliament being in session, the evaluators were not able to have working level meetings with the Clerk of Parliament who could have provided a briefing on the capacity of the ABG legislature to draft and pass laws related to law and order in Bougainville.
- During the course of the 5-week mission, the evaluators collected a significant amount of primary source documentation, as well as a large volume of data from community consultations, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Very little time was available during the mission itself to process any of this information, due to the intensity of the evaluation team’s meeting schedule. The tight deadline for presenting the evaluation report to the Government of PNG and the ABG may have constrained the evaluation team’s ability to present its finding and recommendations in the most coherent and structured manner possible. The evaluation team nevertheless hopes that the current report and recommendations will make a contribution to both governments’ efforts in moving forward together in support of advancing weapons disposal and building community security in Bougainville.
IIFindings
The Government of PNG and the ABG stand together at a critical political juncture. According to the Peace Agreement – as enacted through the 2002 PNG Organic Law and the 2004 Bougainville Constitution – a referendum on Bougainville’s political future, including the option of independence from PNG, will take place sometime between 2015 and 2020. The exact date of the referendumwill be agreed by both governments after taking into consideration progress made in Bougainville in two areas: weapons disposal and good governance. The Peace Agreement provides some guidance on benchmarks that can be used to determine whether certain standards of good governance have been met (BPA, 2001: Section 313.a). It is silent, however, on what would constitute adequate progress on weapons disposal.
When withdrawing from Bougainville in 2005, the UN Observer Mission in Bougainville (UNOMB) was aware that the Weapons Disposal Plan it had helped to implement under the Peace Agreement had not been fully complied with and that weapons remained in the hands of ex-combatants and others (Turk, 2005). This report finds that not much progress has been made since 2005 in disposing of these remaining weapons and that there is scope to make further progress in this area.
5Initial observations
5.1Public awareness
One of the most significant findings made by the evaluators during the course of their broad-ranging consultations with Bougainvillean communities was thefundamental lack of awareness and understanding of the Peace Agreement that exists among the people of Bougainville. There is a high level of misunderstanding and confusion among ordinary peopleregarding the basic provisions of the Agreement and, in particular, regarding the role that weapons disposal plays in clearing a path to a referendum on their political future. Widespread illiteracy, especially among those whose education was disrupted by the crisis, and the absence of a local language version of the Peace Agreement seem to have deepened this lack of awareness. The evaluators found that although Bougainvilleans are keen to acquire information that would allow them to have a better understanding of how to shape their political future, the mechanisms arecurrently not in place to make this possible.
5.2Attitude of BRA and BRF ex-combatants
A significant number of BRA and BRF ex-combatants believe that weapons disposal has been complied with in accordance with the provisions of the Weapons Disposal Plan mandated by the Peace Agreement. At the same time, they acknowledge that some high-powered weapons were not handed in under the Plan and expressed their readiness to look into ways of resolving this issue. As signatories of the Peace Agreement, they feel obliged to implement it in full, something that could make them reliable partners of the ABG in achieving the goal of disarmament. Initiating informal consultations with them on the issue could be a step in the right direction. Having reached a consensus with BRA and BRF ex-combatants on the way forward, the ABG would be in a much stronger position to address the same issue with other Bougainville factions that are not party to the Peace Agreement.