Ceasefire in B’ville

by STEPHANIE ELIZAH
FIVE warring factions in the Konnou constituency of South Bougainville have agreed to lay down their firearms and live in peace.
To strengthen this pact, a ceasefire agreement was signed last Tuesday at Mogoroi, Buin, by the commanders of the Mekamui Defence Force (MDF), Wisai Liberation Movement (Wilmo), Mongai, Moikui and Nomororai Freedom factions.
MDF commander Damien Koike said he would honour the agreement and ensured that peace was maintained with the other factions.
“Everything in Konnou will now be all right,” Koike said.
Koike, who commands close to 1,000 guerrillas, alleged to be behind the killing of more than 60 civilians, including women and children since 2004.
In response, four factions of veteran fighters combined and took up arms against the MDF.
Koike, who refused to elaborate, said the local conflict was “not about law and order issues but political”.
Wilmo commander Jacob Potoura said his faction was tired of fighting and needed peace and stability to return to their constituency.
“We are happy to have looked into the eyes of our former enemies and forgive each other today,” he said.
“It is very important to us.”
The ceremony was witnessed by Autonomous Bougainville Government ministers, priests and pastors of the Catholic, United and Seventh-Day Adventist churches, village chiefs, women and children from Buin and Siwai villages.
Autonomous Region of Bougainville President John Momis said he was pleased with the decision the factions had taken to reconcile and further agree to lay down their weapons for the overall good of the people of Konnou and Bougainville.
The ceasefire agreement contained a number of conditions including:
l    Each faction to patrol only within their border until such time as total normalcy returns;
l    All parties to respect each other’s resource boundaries and not bear arms when entering the other faction’s boundary for funeral or medical reasons;
l    All parties continue to meet to further discuss law and order issues;
l    Compensation for those who died during the local conflict will be addressed in future meetings; and
l    All parties are to conduct themselves in a way that does not instil fear in the people.