Protests have broken out in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, prompting Caritas Australia to raise concerns about the impacts of the unrest on access to food and livelihoods.  

The Solomon Islands is one of the least developed nations in the Pacific, already facing a combination of challenging factors: a lack of basic infrastructure, vulnerability to natural disasters, civil unrest and widespread poverty. The country also faces considerable inequality, with much of the country’s wealth and infrastructure centered in Honiara, leaving a stark difference between the capital and regions.   

“Seeing the protests unfold in front of us has been alarming, but what really worries me are the impacts on the communities we’ve been working with for so long,” says Rose Everlyn Clough, Caritas Australia’s Program Quality Coordinator for Solomon Islands, based in Honiara.  

“I’ve been working with some very remote communities, and I know that they will face even more challenges the longer that this continues. For communities that are already struggling without access to clean water, or with limited livelihoods options, these kinds of events just create more uncertainty and more disruption.” 

“We hope that the protests ease down soon so that we can continue our work, and we ask for support from Australians to make sure that those who are already struggling to access food and clean water don’t go without during this period.”