The 2021 Solomon Islands unrest was a series of demonstrations and violent riots in

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

from 24 to 27 November 2021. It started off as a peaceful protest against the government's decision to recognize China over Taiwan. However, it turned out violent as protesters attempted to storm Parliament to depose

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Sogavare. Businesses, mainly in Honiara's Chinatown district, were burnt and looted. A police station was set on fire. The government responded by deploying the police in which they used tear gas on the protesters. They also requested the Australian Government for support. As a result, Australia deployed the Australian Federal Police and Defence Force. Papua New Guinea and Fiji dispatched peacekeepers while New Zealand deployed police and troops. Prime Minister Sogavare resisted calls to resign, saying that the decision is upon the floor of parliament. A no confidence motion was signed by an opposition member; however, it was defeated in

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

on 6 December 2021 as lawmakers voted to keep the Prime Minister in power.

Background

Solomon Islands had historically been in a state of ethnic conflict until 2003, when Australia deployed a peacekeeping mission. The residents of Malaita, the nation's most populous island, have often complained that their island is neglected by the central government. In 2019, the central government under Prime Minister

Manasseh Sogavare Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (born 17 January 1955) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, serving since 24 April 2019. He previously held the office in 2000–2001, 2006—2007 and 2014–2017; in all he has served over ni ...

withdrew recognition of the

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

and established relations with the mainland

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Malaita Province Malaita Province is the most populous and one of the largest of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands. It is named after its largest island, Malaita (also known as "Big Malaita" or "Maramapaina"). Other islands include South Malaita Island (a ...

, however, continued to be supported by Taiwan and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the latter sending US$25 million of aid to the island in 2020. The premier of Malaita Province, Daniel Suidani, also held an independence referendum in 2020 which the national government has dismissed as illegitimate. Rising unemployment and poverty, worsened by the border closure during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, have also been cited as a cause of the unrest. Chinese businesses were also accused of giving jobs to foreigners instead of locals.

Events

The protests were initially peaceful on 24 November, with members of the group "Malaita for Democracy" gathering to protest the Solomon Islands Government's decision to recognize China over Taiwan. They called on Prime Minister Sogavare to address them. After failing to meet with them, witnesses reported that protests turned violent. Protestors attempted to storm the parliament building to depose the Prime Minister. A 36-hour lockdown was issued, but was defied by protestors on 25 November, when a crowd took to the streets of Honiara's Chinatown. Buildings adjoining the

Solomon Islands Parliament Building The Solomon Islands Parliament Building in Honiara is the seat of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands. History From 1978 to 1994, Parliament met at 'Kalala House', which now houses the High Court. The parliamentary building was built as ...

burnt to the ground. A police station and businesses were set on fire. Police fired upon protesters with tear gas. Australia responded to the unrest on 25 November by deploying Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Force personnel. They were requested by the Sogavare government under the Australia-Solomon Islands Bilateral Security Treaty. The Australian Government stated this deployment was to support the

Royal Solomon Islands Police Force The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is the national police force of Solomon Islands and in January 2015 had an establishment of approximately 1,153 officers and 43 police stations across the country. Solomon Islands has no military o ...

to maintain order and protect vital infrastructure and would take no position on the internal issues of Solomon Islands.

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

agreed to send 34 peacekeepers to help staunch the violence. By the morning of 27 November, the rioting had largely stopped, with police officers and peacekeeping troops patrolling the streets. Police later announced the discovery of three charred bodies in a burned building in Honiara's Chinatown district, as well as the arrest of over 100 people in relation to the riots. Opposition leader

Matthew Wale Matthew Cooper Wale (born 13 June 1968) is a Solomon Islands politician. He is a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, and was elected to Parliament representing the Aoke/Langalanga constituency Aoke/Langalanga, also known ...

filed a no-confidence motion against the Sogavare government on 28 November, with debate scheduled for 6 December. The motion created a potential flashpoint for further unrest. Fiji dispatched 50 troops on 30 November 2021. This was to reinforce the Australian Defence Force under the Vuvale Partnership between Australia and Fiji. 120 troops remained on standby in Fiji if needed. New Zealand sent 65 police and troops, with 15 personnel arriving 2 December, and 50 over the following weekend. On 6 December, Sogavare survived a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or m ...

in the

National Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. 15 MPs voted in support, 32 voted against, and two abstained. On 14 December, opposition figure John Kwaita was charged with instigating the unrest. The damage of the riots was estimated to be SI$500 million (

NZ$ The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New ...

91m). As a result of the economic turmoil, emergency supplies were delivered. By 22 December, military presence was scaled down in Honiara, but remained on standby to ensure stability. The Solomon Islands government requested assistance from China. The request was accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China on 24 December, resulting in batons, shields and helmets being supplied to the islands to help with quelling future riots.

Reactions

Domestic

Prime minister

warned the rioters would "face consequences", and resisted calls to resign, saying that if he would be removed, "it will be on the floor of Parliament". He also accused the protesters of being "politically motivated" and, during an interview with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, blamed "foreign powers" for the unrest. Opposition leader

and Malaita premier Daniel Suidani both called for Sogavare to step down, blaming him for the violence. However, both Wale and Suidani also condemned the violence on the part of the protesters. The premier of

Guadalcanal Province Guadalcanal Province is one of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands, consisting of the island of Guadalcanal. It is a 2,510 square mile (5,336 km2) island and is largely a jungle. Its name was given by Pedro de Ortega Valencia, born in the ...

Anthony Veke Anthony Veke (born c. 1977) is the premier of Guadalcanal Province of the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and nor ...

also strongly denounced the riots.

International

The

government of the People's Republic of China The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...

(PRC) expressed "concern about the attacks" and support for the Solomon Islands Government's attempts to "restore order and stability quickly". Sogavare alleged that countries that did not want the Solomon Islands to establish ties with the People's Republic of China had fed the people of Malaita "false and deliberate lies" about Solomon Islands' shift in diplomatic relations from the ROC to the PRC. The spokesperson for the ROC foreign ministry, Joanne Ou, stated, "We have nothing to do with the unrest." Australian prime minister

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for th ...

questioned whether Chinese citizens and businesses were targeted describing the unrest as a "mixed story". Australian foreign minister

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales si ...

also stated that there was no indication that foreign countries had stirred up the unrest.

References