The New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern announced the dispatch of a peacekeeping mission to the Solomon Islands to quell the anti-government revolt that has so far caused three deaths and reduced much of the capital Honiara to a heap of ruins. “We are deeply concerned by the recent civil unrest and turmoil in Honiara and, following a request from the government of the Solomon Islands, we have rushed to provide urgent assistance to help restore stable peace and security,” Ardern announced in a statement. .
Because Taiwan and China are behind the protests in the Solomon Islands
by our correspondent Gianluca Modolo
The first 15 New Zealand peacekeepers will arrive in the archipelago on Thursday and will be followed by another 50 over the weekend. An Australian-led brokerage force of 200 is already deployed in the islands, which also includes personnel from Papua New Guinea and the Fiji Islands. The crisis erupted last Wednesday when protests against the government of Manasseh Sogavare – fueled by a denied independence referendum and a deal with China – have degenerated into violence, fueled by poverty, unemployment and island rivalry. The no-confidence vote against Sogavare expected on Monday could further increase the tension. The Australian authorities, who had already led the peackeeping mission which lasted from 2003 to 2017, have assured that the deployment will be “a matter of weeks” and that the operations will be limited to maintaining security, without influencing political developments.
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