Riots in the Solomon Islands: 4 things to know about this archipelago

November 24, 2021 witnessed severe riots in the capital city of Solomon Islands, Honiara. Following several days of protests, protestors clashed with the police, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare. The police used tear gas and rubber bullets in order to control the situation. However, they were outnumbered. This led them to set up a heavily guarded barricade around the capital’s main business district. Around the capital city, multiple stores were looted and buildings were set ablaze leaving Honiara in a state of absolute chaos and political turmoil. Authorities also reported that the protestors had stormed the city’s national Parliament. What led to these riots and protests anyway, and what are the consequences? Read on to know more. 

Where are the Solomon Islands? 
The Solomon Islands are located in Oceania, and consist of 6 major islands along with a staggering 900 smaller islands. They lie around 1,000 miles northeast of Australia. They are located in the east of Papa New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. The capital Honiara is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal. The population is roughly 710,000 and the primary occupations are farming and fishery. 

How did the Solomon Islands get its name? 
Way back in 1568, Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira reached the islands. Soon after this, a rumour started building up and people started to believe that he had found gold there. It was rumoured that Neira has discovered the place where biblical king Solomon got the gold for his temple in Jerusalem. That is why the islands were named Islas de Solomónor the Solomon Islands. 

What caused the riots? 
It has been reported that the primary reason behind these riots is the discontent which was steadily building amongst citizens for many decades due to unequal distribution of resources. A large number of these protestors were residents of Malaita, which is one of the most overlooked and least-developed provinces in the Solomon Islands. The lack of economic support diverted towards their province was also one of the key reasons behind the riots. Another cause for the dissatisfaction among its citizens was the government’s unpopular 2019 decision to switch its diplomatic allegiances from Taipei (which is claimed by China) to Beijing (China’s capital). There was a scandal in which Taiwan accused the Solomon Islands’ government of accepting a bribe in order to change its allegiance. 

What is the situation like now? 
After the protests and riots broke out with hundreds of people taking to the streets, the Prime Minister announced a strict 36-hour curfew to control the situation. He also went on to express his disapproval of the protests in a statement, maintaining that they were fuelled by political motives and were threatening democracy. Since then, the Australian government announced its decision to deploy police and military support to the Solomon Islands.