Incident Overview
Description
A Britten-Norman Islander aircraft and its pilot were seized by a faction of the Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM) militia group. The incident happened following the plane’s scheduled landing at an isolated airstrip in Mbambanakira on the island of Guadalcanal. The IFM faction demanded two million Solomon dollars for the pilot’s release and set a deadline of September 19. The IFM also threatened to kill the pilot and blow up the aircraft if the demand was not met. An IFM spokesman said that the hijacking was a result of dissatisfaction over the failure of the deputy prime minister to fulfil the many promises he had made. The commandeering took place just three days after the Solomon Islands government had paid another militia group, the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF), $180,000 (Australian). The payment was to encourage the MEF to return to their villages on Malaita island as part of peace talks between the two militia groups. The pilot of the commandeered plane was subsequently released unharmed by the rebels on October 6 without the ransom having been paid. The plane was believed to have been hidden in the dense jungle and was not recovered. This commandeering is a politically-motivated incident.
Primary Cause
Militia faction demands for ransom and threat of violence.Militia faction demands for ransom and threat of violence.Share on:
