Bougainville’s long-shut Panguna copper mine is attracting new interest as copper demand rises, but some fear reopening it could revive old violence. The mine has been closed for four decades.
01Summary
- 01Rising demand for copper has renewed interest in Bougainville’s Panguna mine.
- 02Panguna has been shut for four decades.
- 03Some people fear a push to reopen the mine could lead to a return to violence.
- 04The mine is linked in the headline to a civil war and to Bougainville’s hopes for funding a new nation.
02Why it matters
The mine could shape Bougainville’s economic future and its wider political ambitions. But any attempt to restart it also carries the risk of reopening old divisions and violence.
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