Soldiers Without Guns (2019)

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW

In 1997, New Zealand led a four-nation peacekeeping force that would be instrumental in bringing to an end the Bougainville Civil War in Papua New Guinea- probably the most violent and deadly conflict in the Pacific since the Second World War.  The conflict had been going on for 10 years and there had been more than a dozen failed attempts to broker peace.  One of the remarkable things about this initiative was that the peacekeeping force was unarmed. How this operation came about is the story at the heart of this documentary.

There are two things that particularly stood out for me.  The first is the clarity with which it presents its narrative, notably the history and the nature of this complex conflict. The second is the wealth of footage that has been compiled.  I found it astonishing in itself that such footage existed- given the time and place, and the nature of what is captured.

Here’s a link to the documentary.