Written by Staff Writer, CNN
Acting Prime Minister Fred Fono has said that Solomon Islands is not a failed state, claiming that the situation is improving.
The capital Honiara has witnessed a spate of violent clashes in recent months, and on Thursday, the government announced several promises, including more funding and the resettlement of thousands of refugees from the neighboring Papua New Guinea islands of Bougainville.
In response to questions, Fono told reporters that all political disputes were “resolved through democracy” and claimed that police and soldiers are now in charge of unrest in the capital.
“The republic is not a failed state,” he said. “But it is not in a very good shape, let’s be honest about that.”
The government is yet to outline how it intends to address the government’s troubled reputation, as well as the root causes of the political and religious divisions within Solomon Islands, which remains a low-lying atoll.
John Bindra has lived in Honiara for 36 years and is one of thousands of refugees from the neighbouring Bougainville.