Things aren’t going very well in the Solomon Islands. Protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare over an internal dispute, started peacefully but soon turned into a destructive battleground and attempted to storm Sogavare's residence, set nearby buildings on fire, including a police station, and looted shops. The police imposed a curfew, used tear gas shells and even called the Australian police for assistance.
The Solomon Islands have been known in the military for the gruesome battle in Guadalcanal during the Second World War. Most of the nation’s area is covered by two islands, Guadalcanal (where the country’s capital, Honiara is located) and Malaita. Tensions between these two islands have been going on ever since the country’s independence from the British in 1978. Malaita, from the beginning, has been accusing the Guales (residents of Guadalcanal) of unequal distribution of resources and a lack of economic support, which has left Malaita as one of the least-developed provinces of the island nation.
On the lookout for better economic opportunities, Malaitans started migrating to Guadalcanal which led to discontent among the Guales. The Guales started a campaign of intimidation, sometimes by violence, to drive off the Malaitans. This led to the formation of the Malaita Eagle Force militia in 1999 to protect the Malaitans from such attacks. The Malaita Eagle Force went as far as kidnapping the then Malaitan Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu in 2000 because they believed he wasn’t doing enough for the Malaitans' cause, which eventually led Sogavare to power.
The government’s decision to recognise China instead of Taiwan -which has been supported by Malaita- added fuel to the fire. Malaitan leaders accused the PM of taking bribes from China. The worsening economic conditions leading to massive unemployment rates further aggravated the people. Under a bilateral treaty between the Solomon Islands and Australia signed in 2017, Australian troops were deployed immediately to contain the situation.
Sogavare for now has refused to resign. With the air worsening between the Malaitans and Guales, only time will tell if they’ll find a perpetual solution for this long drawn unrest.
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