The issue of Unexploded Ordinances (UXOs) in Solomon Islands will be raised by Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders (PIFL) meeting which is scheduled next week in Honiara.
PM Manele, in a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) Conference room, he was asked by local media what the Government’s current progress in terms of UXO issues.
In his response, Manele said bringing the UXO in the country to the PIFL meeting is one of the Government’s agenda.
“Yes, that’s one of the Government’s agenda to bring to the table in next week’s PIFL meeting.
“It’s also linked to environmental hazards but also the Ocean of Peace initiative.
“The UXO, as we all know, have been a major impediment to our networks, but also in other countries within the region as well. That is why now we are trying to elevate it to the regional level,” he said.
PM Manele added that bilaterally, the U.S support in terms of work on the UXO is not affected by other projects that are experiencing attacks.
Attorney General, John Muria Jnr. also added that currently there’s negotiations by his office on the issue of UXO.
The presence of UXO in the country continues to pose a significant threat to communities, particularly in areas with high contamination from World War II remnants.
On December 21, 2022, the U.S Department of State provided USD1 million (SBD 8.3 million) to the HALO Trust (HALO) to launch a comprehensive UXO project in Solomon Islands beginning January 1, 2023.
This project addresses UXO priorities and enhance explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) capacity with the Ministry of National Police and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
This project is part of former U.S President Joe Biden’s announcement at the United States-Pacific Island Country Summit in September 2022, where UXO priorities were one of nine U.S. commitments to implement the Declaration on the U.S.-Pacific Partnership.
Following the Solomon Islands Government officially accepting U.S. Department of Defense Cooperation on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) assistance in August 2023, the U.S. Embassy presented a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) for signature to the Solomon Islands Government in January 2024.
The MOU was sealed in September 2024 and almost USD 2 million in funding could support technical assistance, equipment, physical infrastructure, training, and mentorship with the RSIPF.
This project would expand UXO assistance by facilitating cooperation between the RSIPF and the U.S. Department of Defense HMA Program to meet Solomon Islands’ complex HMA challenges, to reduce the hazards posed by explosive remnants of war.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
