Bougainville; conflict; independence; autonomy

The conflict between separatist structures in the northern area of the Solomon Islands, the largest part of which is formed by the island of Bougainville , and the Government of Papua New Guinea is generally not known to the same extent as other conflicts of a similar type. However, there is an assumption that in the next few years it can come to the centre of attention just like it happened with South Sudan in the first decade of the 21st century. Similarly as in its case, a peace treaty was signed after a long period of fights, which made a commitment to holding a referendum on independence and respecting its outcome. According to recent reports, which come from the area, the referendum will be held at the end of the agreed period. For now Bougainville remains an autonomous region, whose status and self-governance model is similar to, for example, the one of Aceh, Indonesia.