Over 100 people arrested in Solomon Islands after riots in Honiara

Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau called on people to stop the unrest

More than 100 people have been arrested in the Solomon Islands after a wave of riots in the capital of Honiara, police said on Saturday, Qazet.az reports citing Sputnik.

The civil unrest in the Solomon Islands started on Wednesday with disturbance in Honiara and demands for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's resignation. The government of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands opposed the decision of the country's central government to develop ties with China instead of Taiwan. The Solomon Islands requested the Australian government to assist in tackling the unrest.

Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau called on people to stop the unrest.

On Thursday, Sogavare said that he blames foreign powers for civil unrest in the country prompted by his move to develop relations with China. He added that a switch between diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China is the main source of the conflict, as a populous region in the country has refused to follow the capital in favoring Beijing and severing ties with Taipei.