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

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

from 24 to 27 November 2021. It started off as a peaceful protest against the government's decision to recognize the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

over

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. However, it turned violent as protesters attempted to storm the

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

to depose

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Manasseh Sogavare. Many businesses, especially Chinese businesses located in Honiara's Chinatown, were targeted by protestors, and were burned 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. Following the unrest, Prime Minister Sogavare said the "innocent people of Malaita have been lied to by these agents of Taiwan" and described the riots as an "attempted illegal coup". Sogavare resisted calls to resign, and defeated a vote of no-confidence in the parliament on 6 December 2021.

Background

Solomon Islands had historically been in a state of

ethnic conflict An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

until 2003, when

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 Sogavare withdrew recognition of Taiwan and established relations with the People's Republic of China. Malaita Province, however, continued to be supported by Taiwan and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, 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 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 Sogavare. 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 parliament building 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 The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...

and

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

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 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, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

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 and the arrest of over 100 people in relation to the riots. Opposition leader Matthew Wale 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 Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

dispatched 50 troops on 30 November 2021 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 or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

in the parliament. 15 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 (; currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, 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 Zeal ...

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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The request was accepted by the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the first-ranked Ministries of the People's Republic of China, executive department of the State Council of China, responsible for the country's Foreign relations of China, f ...

on 24 December, resulting in batons, shields and helmets being supplied to the islands to help with quelling future riots.

Reactions

Domestic

Sogavare 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 Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

, blamed "foreign powers" for the unrest. Wale and Suidani called for Sogavare to step down. The premier of Guadalcanal Province Anthony Veke 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 based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

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 Taiwan to the People's Republic of China. The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We have nothing to do with the unrest." Australian prime minister

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

questioned whether Chinese citizens and businesses were targeted describing the unrest as a "mixed story". Australian foreign minister Marise Payne also stated that there was no indication that foreign countries had stirred up the unrest.

References