University of the Philippines Manila

College of Arts and Sciences

Padre Faura St, Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila

Malaita-Guadalcanal Conflict in

Solomon Islands: A Consequence of Climate Change

Final Case Analysis Paper

Department of Social Sciences

In Partial Fulfillment of Political Science 189

Presented by:

Dimapilis, Djoanna Marie A.

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Presented to:

Jose Mikhail F. Perez

Instructor

June 5, 2023
Introduction

Climate change is one of the pressing issues the world is facing today. It affects people in
terms of health, environment, politics, and resources (Karl et al., 2009). But most of them
overlook the effects of climate change. While it continuously poses sea level rise threats,
especially in coastal regions such as Oceania, it also let people be forced to leave their
homelands and relocate due to the damages inflicted by climate change, which leads to armed
conflict (Boege, 2018). In this paper, the author will discuss the connection between climate
change, migration, and conflict.

There is little attention from the academe and policymakers on how climate change
results in violent and armed conflicts (Boege, 2018; Campbell, 2019). But in the case of Oceania,
climate change leads them to migrate to another land which results in conflicts between the
landowner and settlers. In the Oceania region, where most nation-states are islands, the majority
of the inhabitants are indigenous groups (Sangha et al., 2019). These people have a different way
of living contrary to mainstream societies. They live with their respective tribes through
communal ownership. For them, land is life and life is land (Campbell, 2019; Allen, 2012). But
with the emerging consequences of climate change, they are forced to migrate onto other lands
which pose environmental, cultural, and economic damages to both settlers and landowners. This
is where climate change and conflict meet (Boege, 2018).

Inhabitants of the Oceania region feel the maximum effects of climate change because
most are small coastal islands. The continuous rising of sea levels, storms, floods, coastal
erosion, and other natural hazards deteriorates the land that is their livelihood (van der Ploeg et
al., 2020; Walshe & Stancioff, 2018; Boege, 2018). Leal Filho et al. (2020) enumerated its
multisectoral damages: (1) alteration in ecosystems, (2) infrastructure damages, (3) halted
economic activities, (4) weak social and health well-being, and (5) extreme events. These natural
hazards will pose livelihood and material insecurity to the inhabitants which will lead to
relocation. With that, there will be emotional, cultural, and spiritual damage as they will be
broken from their ancestral lands.

Migration of forcibly displaced to another land most likely leads to conflicts with the
landowners. But it is the only viable, long-term, and sustainable way to adapt to climate change.
Boege (2018) named it as the inhabitants’ last resort because there is no livelihood, food, and
other basic resources. Therefore, relocation is the only solution for survival. But another
predicament awaits as they clash with other cultures in another homeland. The climate
change-induced migration-turned-conflict in the Oceania region is the main problem that the
author will discuss in this paper.
Theory

Indigenous peoples identify their identities with their ancestral land as they believe that
they come from it which makes them sons of the soil. This is a theory by Myron Weiner in 1975
by making ethnic conflicts in India as examples (Weiner, 1975). Weiner explains this
phenomenon as the conflict between the local indigenous peoples and displaced ethnic groups
through migration. Conflict arises when the latter migrates from a rural or distant province to a
relatively sociopolitically developed land that the former believe they are the only group entitled
to use it. The clash between the two groups makes grievances from political and cultural
inequalities and greed from unequal economic opportunities (Fearon & Laitin, 2011).

Sons of the Soil theory provides a critical explanation of inter-ethnic conflicts motivated
primarily by migration. The dispute between the two groups is initiated by the landowners’
desire to monopolize their ancestral lands, but it is usually heightened by the lack of basic needs
such as education, employment, and natural resources (Fearon & Laitin, 2011).
Migration-induced inter-ethnic conflicts do not usually end up armed and violent, but some are
escalated into civil wars. One best example is the Malaita-Guadalcanal conflict (Boege, 2018;
Bennet, 2002; Campbell, 2019; Allen, 2012; Kwa’ioloa & Burt, 2007).

Case example

Malaita is located in the coastal area of the archipelagic country of Solomon Islands.
There are 1,000 islands, home to half a million population (Allen, 2012). Climate change made
the sea levels constantly rise, which made ancestral lands inhabitable and damaged their sources
of livelihood, food, and life. With that, Malaitans are forced to relocate to a livable land. Coastal
Maliatians initially relocated to mainland Malaita. But it is declared by the Solomon Islands
government as overpopulated due to limited land. This led to irregular violence among Malaitans
(Boege, 2018; Allen, 2012; Campbell, 2019).

The migrants in mainland Malaita are forced to leave the island and relocate to the
capital, Honiara, in Guadalcanal. There is where services and opportunities in the islands are
centralized. But with the arrival of 35,000 Malaitans to the capital, resources started depleting.
Moreover, there were political inequalities and differences in cultures and languages (Boege,
2018; Allen, 2012). In the case of Malaitans and locals from Guadalcanal, climate change does
not only affect their environment, but also poses livelihood, interrelationships, and sociocultural
threats.

In 1988, Guadalcanal locals conducted peaceful demonstrations to relay to their

government their concerns about the influx of Malaitans immigrants to their lands. The tribal
leaders from the two ethnic groups had several meetings ever since but did not solve any
problems. 10 years later, the Guadalcanal leaders said that they will burn the immigrants’ houses
if they did not leave. This led to a civil war in the 2000s when the Guadalcanal youth formed a
paramilitary group, Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA), against Malaitans in 1999.
Moreover, Malaitains also formed Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) (Kwa’ioloa & Bur, 2007; Allen,
2012; Boege, 2018; Bennett, 2002).

The then Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Bart Ulufa’alu, struggled in the inter-ethnic
conflict. He failed to respond to the needs of both ethnic groups and eventually declared a
four-month state of emergency (Fry, 2000). Additionally, Ulufa’alu is kidnapped by the MEF but
got released because he resigned as prime minister. The overthrow of the Ulufa’alu government
worsened the conflict due to the lack of government leadership. Social structures also became
affected as schools and hospitals are closed. Civilians performed massive illegal activities such
as burglary, stealing cars, and raping (Boege, 2018; Allen, 2012). Aside from the government
deficiencies, there is also economic turmoil at that time due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis and
limited exports. Wars are expensive to solve (Bennett, 2002).

After more than 2 decades, the ethnic tensions between Malaitans and Guadalcanal locals
are still continuous. International interventions have been made, primarily by Australia, New
Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, to halt the conflicts but no one succeeded (Pryke, 2021). The
current Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and his fourth term added to the
tension as some Malaitans do not approve of his leadership of the country and policies (O’brien,
2021; Voloder, 2021).

Analysis

Sons of the Soil theory imply that migration can motivate inter-ethnic conflicts, similar to
what happened with the Malaita-Guadalcanal conflict. It also aligned on how the Guadalcanal,
the local indigenous group, wanted to retain their dominance on the usage of land especially
since it provides economic benefits. Malaitans, on the other hand, migrated to Honiara,
Guadalcanal. They experienced political and economic inequalities due to the limited land and
basic resources. With that, social institutions have broken up with the lack of employment and
educational opportunities (Boege, 2018; Allen, 2012; Bennett, 2002; Fearon & Laitin, 2011).

But there is a missing variable in the presented theory - climate change. The migration of
Malaitans won’t be happening, more so the conflict, if not for climate change. As coastal
inhabitants, their lands were submerged in water. This is one of the reasons for the need for
urgent action in effectively addressing climate change. If not, all of us will also face survival
threats. But, when this happens, we won’t have somewhere to be relocated on.
Conclusion

The continual conflict after more than 20 years between Malaitans and Guadalcanal
locals is motivated primarily by greed. The land of Guadalcanal possesses millions of dollars
worth of resources, which is why local politicians did not extend their efforts to solve this
conflict. Instead, they added to it. Bennett (2002) stated that Malaitans politicians helped
Guadalcanal rebels in killing their own families and friends in exchange for millions of dollars.
Additionally, Harold Keke, warlord of the GRA, used Malaitans who are married to Guadalcanal
locals to kill their people (Kwa’ioloa & Bur, 2007).

Moreover, there is also a lack of international courses of action towards conflict made by
climate change and migration. Campbell (2019) stated that scholars did not much delve into the
effects of climate change on interrelationships of people. As a result, there are no well-informed
policies and adaptation measures for such threats. Conflict in the Solomon Islands or other small
coastal nations is not adequately discussed due to “bigger” conflicts like in Afghanistan or
Ukraine. But for the Pacific islanders, it is a threat to their lives (Boege, 2018).

Instead, international organizations (IO), like United Nations, take much attention to
climate change's effects on the environment and industries. But “climate change-related policy
and practice has to be conflict-sensitive” (Campbell, 2019). Migration must be discussed to
formulate adaptation policies to prevent conflicts like Malaita-Guadalcanal tensions in the future.

Word count: 1,529 words

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