The Melanesian “arc of instability” continued to live up to its name on Monday as a squatter settlement outside Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, erupted in tribal violence. The trigger was an accusation of black magic, and two men were stabbed in death as the fighting escalated before the government declared a state of emergency.
Vanuatu has escaped some of the worst instability of Melanesia – since Vanuatu became independent in 1980, its neighbours have faced insurgency, repeated coups and civil wars. Nevertheless the potential for violence has existed – there is little unity between the islands and the different tribes, resulting in a decentralized, compromise political system. In fact, Vanuatu has the highest density of languages in the world despite its small population. After independence, there were several brief seccessionist conflicts, and the small paramilitary Mobile Force rebelled during a 1996 pay dispute, attempting a coup.
I hope the current violence doesn’t escalate. The tribal differences can result in an equilibrium, a balance-of-power, but the availability of high-powered weapons and the divided loyalty of the armed forces have caused chaos in the rest of Melanesia. Australia and New Zealand need to keep watching, anyway – another Solomons would really be a death blow for their Pacific policy. They seem far more willing to intervene after a war, coup or riot has played itself out, but giving assistance to prevent future bloodshed would save a lot of trouble later.
I partly agree with your last sentence Phil. The question is what sort of assistance could NZ and Australia provide? And would this assistance make a positive difference or just delay matters?
Left by The strategist on March 6th, 2007