Ethnic conflicts in the Solomon Islands (1998-2003)
Ethnic conflicts in the Solomon Islands began in 1998. They were ended in 2003 by an Australian-New Zealand military intervention.
causes
The geographical fragmentation of the Solomon Islands (7 main islands, numerous partly remote islands) and the multilingualism (87 languages) made central control difficult. There was no political common ground. The central government was on the island of Guadalcanal . In order to achieve economic success or political influence, there was an uncontrolled relocation of residents of the island of Malaita to Guadalcanal. Many Malaites bought soil from local people there. The hereditary system in the Solomon Islands is matriarchal. Numerous sellers were not allowed to sell land, which led to demands for restitution by the local clans, which led to the first violence. The residents of the remote islands called for political participation and government investments in peripheral areas. A commission of experts then worked out proposals for a constitutional amendment aimed at transforming the centralized into a federal political system and curbing political corruption. However, these have not been put into practice.
Course of the conflict
In 1998, the provincial governor of Guadalcanal, Ezekiel Alebua , called in a public address that the Malaites who migrated there should be more respectful of the indigenous population and compensation for damage caused by the immigrants. As a result, young Guadalcanal residents attacked Malaites in the capital, Honiara . Guadalcanal citizens who had previously obtained weapons founded the paramilitary organization "Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army", which was later renamed the "Isatabu Freedom Movement" (IFM). In the following year the attacks on Malaites increased, whereupon many Malaites left Guadalcanal. To protect against the IFM, the “Malaita Eagle Force” (MEF) was created to protect the Malaite population and enforce claims for compensation for damage suffered. Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu sought international aid because the domestic forces were insufficient to stabilize the country. Australia and New Zealand pledged financial aid but were unwilling to get involved in the military. The Solomonic government negotiated with the conflicting parties. However, all agreements were broken after a few days. On July 5, 2000, the paramilitary unit "Seagulls", which is under Malay control, carried out a coup in cooperation with the MEF. Ulufa'ala was arrested in his home. Police stations were occupied and the weapons stored there were given to members of the MEF. Manasseh Sogavare was appointed Prime Minister, but only recognized in this capacity by the MEF. The clashes between MEF and IFM intensified and there was looting. The riots are said to have claimed between 12 and 489 lives. On October 15, 2000, the Townsville Peace Accord came into effect for two years. In December 2001 Sir Allan Kemakeza was appointed Prime Minister. He turned to Australia and New Zealand for help. These offered mediation services in negotiations and financial support and ruled out military involvement. The country's economy was down 25%, and international investment was down 70%. After the Townsville Accords ended, the violence broke out again. Numerous weapons were in circulation. The state power was no longer able to prosecute political or criminal offenses. In some cases, government officials and police officers have been involved in criminal activities.
The intervention
In the summer of 2003, Australia and New Zealand decided to send armed forces to the Solomon Islands. They felt compelled to do so because the Solomon Islands could not stabilize themselves and it was feared that they could become an area of action for criminal and terrorist organizations. There were also fears that the conflict would spread to the island of Bougainville, which belongs to Papua New Guinea . The task force "Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands" (RAMSI) was set up with a total strength of 2225 men. Of these, 1,500 were Australian soldiers and 155 were Australian police officers, 105 were New Zealand soldiers and 35 were New Zealand police officers. On July 24, 2003, the operation in the Solomon Islands began under the name "Operation Helped Frem". Firearms possession was made a criminal offense. All handguns could be handed in unpunished within 21 days. 3400 weapons were handed in. The leader of the militiamen on the west coast, Harold Kreke , surrendered. The armed associations of the parties to the conflict were poorly armed, untrained and undisciplined. At the end of 2003, order and security were guaranteed. Approx. 5,500 people involved in the rioting were arrested. Public finances were consolidated and wages and salaries were paid out to civil servants and civil servants. The Solomon police force was restructured (100 arrests, 400 dismissals). The intervention was welcomed by the majority of the Solomonic population. The trust in the task force is manifested in the phrase "Weitim olketa RAMSI bae kam stretem" (let's wait until RAMSI comes and repairs it).
literature
- Hinsch, Wilfried; Janssen, Dieter: The successful intervention: the Solomon Islands. In Hinsch, Janssen: Protecting human rights militarily. 2006. ISBN 978-3-406-54099-8
- Warren Karle: Conflict in the 'Happy Isles': The role of ethnicity in the outbreak of violence in Solomon Islands . In: Monograph Series . No. 5 . Australian Defense College, Canberra 2005.
Web links
- Townsville Agreement (Engl.)
- Full text of all peace agreements (Engl.)
- Kabutaulaka, Tarcisius Tara: Australian Foreign Policy and the RAMSI intervention in Solomon Islands (engl.)