Solomon Islands
Tensions in the Solomon Islands are deeply rooted in long-standing issues related to land use, property rights and resource revenue distribution. In the late 1990s, the country experienced a period of armed violence linked to escalated ethnic tensions. The three-year conflict between indigenous Gualese and Malaitan armed groups ended with the establishment of the Townsville Peace Agreements. It was followed by a disarmament and weapons destruction initiative. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have provided assistance for the prevention and reduction of armed violence.1
The Facilitation of International Assistance Act modified and nullified the country’s Firearms and Ammunition Act of 1968. By 2008, the Act had enabled the country’s full disarmament. The RAMSI officers collected about 90–95 per cent of the weapons looted from national stockpiles during the conflict of 1999–2002.2 Since 2003, RAMSI has assisted the country in building the foundations for long-time stability and security.3
1 Sabrina Pfiffner and Heather Sutton, The Gun-free Zone – a Tool to Prevent and Reduce Armed Violence, Occasional Paper No. 25 (New York: UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, 2013), https://www.unodc.org/documents/ungass2016//Contributions/UN/UNODA/Gunfreezones.pdf.
2 Kerry Maze and Yvette Issar, International Assistance for Implementing the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspect Case Study of the South Pacific (Geneva: UN Institute for Disarmament Research, 2009), https://unidir.org/sites/default/files/publication/pdfs/international-assistance-for-implementing-the-un-poa-on-the-illicit-trade-in-small-arms-and-light-weapons-in-all-its-aspects-case-study-of-the-south-pacific-en-256.pdf.
3 “About RAMSI,” RAMSI, 2022, https://www.ramsi.org/about.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Solomon Islands.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Numerous cases of diversion have been reported in Solomon Islands.
Table 1. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition and explosives in Solomon Islands
Year | Location | Description |
1999–2002 | Throughout the country | The following items were stolen from police armouries: 3,700 weapons and over 300,000 rounds of ammunition. |
Source: Maze and Issar, International Assistance for Implementing the UN Programme of Action.
Disposal
By 2008, under the aegis of RAMSI, over 300,000 rounds of ammunition were collected and destroyed as part of post-conflict recovery efforts.
Source: Maze and Issar, International Assistance for Implementing the UN Programme of Action.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Solomon Islands (as of 2008):
- Establishment of a comprehensive small arms and light weapons legislative framework and enforcement strategy;
- Building capacities for implementing the national strategy on crime; and
- Training personnel on preventing and combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Source: Maze and Issar, International Assistance for Implementing the UN Programme of Action.
