What's behind the civil unrest in the Solomon Islands?

The Federal Government has now deployed ADF troops & AFP officers as civil unrest continues.

Unrest is continuing in the Solomon Islands right now, with riots & looting seen in the country's capital, Honiara.

Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to try & disperse hundreds of protesters, who reportedly burned down a parliament building, a police station and a store before looting.

The Federal Government has now deployed more than 100 officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and troops from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in a bid to stop further riots.

The protests, which started peacefully, continued in defiance of a lockdown order.

Some online have claimed that the riots are a result of COVID-19 restrictions or "government tyranny" throughout the pandemic - but that's not true.

While there are a number of issues, the main grievance links back to a decision 2 years ago from the country's government to end diplomatic ties with Taiwan & set up formal links with China.

Reuters reports many protesters travelled from Malaita, the most populated province, where their provincial government opposed the decision 2 years ago.

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