Killings jeopardise Solomon Islands peace talks
REUTERS

Honiara, July 15: Prospects for peace talks in the Solomon Islands deteriorated today after five people were shot dead by rival ethnic gunmen in two separate incidents.

Rising crime in the capital Honiara, which police say is out of control, is also clouding hopes for negotiations due to begin next week.

Three Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM) fighters from the main Guadalcanal Island were killed by gunmen from the rival Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) in an ambush in the Kakabona area west of the capital of Honiara at dawn today, local media reported.

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp (SIBC) said leaders of the MEF from neighbouring Malaita Island confirmed their involvement in the ambush and took responsibility for the killings, prompting fears of a renewed escalation in violence in the 20-month feud.

The latest killings follow a separate attack yesterday when armed men raided a medical clinic at Visale in west Guadalcanal, killing an elderly man and a young boy as well as stealing drugs and a two-way radio.

``The gang of armed men arrived by an outboard powered canoe at around 6 am local time and attacked the clinic,'' Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Honiara Adrian Smith told Reuters.

``The patients ran for their lives. Two people were shot dead, one an old man and the other a boy.''

The newly-elected Solomon Islands Government had hoped peace talks could begin next Wednesday after a compensation package of 3.1 million Australian dollars (1.8 million US dollars) was paid to the two warring ethnic groups.

Although both sides have agreed in principle to the talks, sporadic killings have continued and crime is on the increase in Honiara from where more than 1,000 foreigners were evacuated last month as the fighting encircled the capital.

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