Displaying items by tag: Manasseh Sogavare

Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare declared a lockdown on 24 November after a thousand anti-government protesters gathered in the capital demanding his resignation. Sogavare has been in power for twenty years, and foreigners have plundered the country’s resources. The people are not blind to this, and will not be cheated any more. A Honiara journalist said the cause of the chaos was a ‘mixture of a lot of frustration.’ The protesters breached the parliament building and set fire to buildings, including a police station. Sogavare requested Australia’s assistance under a bilateral security treaty; Australia will send a detachment of 23 federal police officers and up to 50 more to provide security at critical infrastructure sites, plus 43 defense force personnel, a patrol boat, and at least five diplomats. The deployment is expected to last for a few weeks.