HONIARA: Fiji joined an international peacekeeping force keeping a lid on simmering tensions in the riot-hit Solomon Islands on Monday, as the Red Cross warned of food shortages in the Pacific nation’s devastated capital.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama deployed an initial 50 Fijian troops to maintain law and order in the wake of deadly anti-government protests, lifting the number of peacekeepers to about 200 — mostly Australian with a contribution of at least 34 from Papua New Guinea.

Bainimarama said another 120 troops were on standby if the security situation deteriorated in Honiara, where a massive clean-up was under way after the unrest that claimed at least three lives.

“I also wish to take this moment to convey my thoughts and prayers to our brothers and sisters in Solomon Islands for the turmoil they are currently experiencing,” the Fijian leader said. The Solomons crisis erupted last on Wednesday when protests over government policies turned violent, fuelled by poverty, unemployment and inter-island rivalries in the nation of 800,000.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2021