The site was at the time the world's largest open-pit copper/gold mine, generating 12% of PNG's GDP[3] and over 45% of the nation's export revenue.

This prompted an uprising in 1988, led by Francis Ona, a Panguna landowner and commander of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA).

The outcome of the uprising was the Bougainville conflict, between the BRA, who sought secession from PNG, and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.

The ten-year conflict resulted in over 20,000 deaths, the eventual closure of the mine on 15 May 1989, and the complete withdrawal of BCL personnel by 24 March 1990.

[10] Rio Tinto has refused to fund remediation works, stating that it fully complied with the relevant laws during mining operations.