The Solomon Islands is a nation that knows the cost of communal conflict: From 1998 to 2003 it was engulfed in violent unrest (known as “the Tensions”) as militants from Malaita and Guadalcanal provinces clashed over land and ethnic disputes. These hostilities caused abductions, the killings of an estimated 200 people, sexual violence, and forced displacement. International peacekeepers, particularly Australian peacekeepers, intervened, and were able to bring the conflict to an end in 2003, although tensions flared again in 2021 after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare refused to meet with protesters from Malaita island.
Today, land disputes remain a major issue in the Solomon Islands. Around 85% of the country’s landmass is customary land, which is regulated by unwritten laws and oral traditions passed down through generations which are not universally accepted. This can sometimes cause tribal and clan disputes.
But the islands have recently seen progress on tribal reconciliation in Malaita. In the village of Fo’ondo, the North Malaita Constituency (NMC) organized a tribal reconciliation program for members of Abua’ero tribal clan from April 25 to 27, 2025. Some of the clan’s members had been separated by 115 years of estrangement over grievances and disputes, the Solomon Islands government reported.
Families reunited under the theme “A Journey of Reconciliation, Reunion, and Restoration of the Abua’ero Tribal Clan.” Officials described the event as emotional and historic, noting it reunited families for the first time since their great-grandfathers left the land around 1910. Families traveled from across Malaita and even other provinces to attend.
A senior officer from the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Ben Oto’ofa, facilitated the ceremony. The gathering even oversaw a leadership transition when Elder Paramount Chief Philip Akote’e Damirara formally passed his title to a new tribal chief, Silas Benono Wawane.
Community Peacebuilding to End Conflict and Spur Development
Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Nason Nunufia said that under the leadership of the Member of Parliament (PM) Daniel Waneoroa, it a priority to resolve land disputes and reunite tribes and people. Nunufia noted that land disputes were one of the “major hindrances” to development.
“Development cannot happen in the air. It happens on the land. So, preparing people and their land for development is paramount,” he said. Nufunfia added that since most lands were tribally owned, there was a need to come up with “models and avenues to engage people in a people-centred approach to deal with land issues and disputes, a collective paradigm.”
A local business also contributed, reflecting community investment in peace. Solrice Company donated 20 bags of rice to support the event.
The Role of International Institutions
International bodies are also working to address land disputes in the Solomon Islands. In 2020, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey to launch the customary land recording process. The process took place in the three target provinces of Malaita, Western, and Guadalcanal.
UNDP and UN Women collaborated with the ministry to maintain inclusiveness in the consultation process, involving women, youth, and people with disabilities. The government then made the Customary Land Recording policy one of the biggest priorities for the country’s development.
Keywords: Solomon Islands, Malaita, peacebuilding, grassroots reconciliation, community conflict resolution, development, land disputes, tribal unity, underreported peace story
