Squatting in Solomon Islands

[2] Squatting in the capital Honiara (on the island of Guadalcanal) began when it was founded after World War II.

[3]: 98  The government attempted to manage the housing issue by licensing land, but after the system broke down people began to squat instead.

[5] A 2009 survey of over 200 squatter households stated that the main form of income was either unskilled labour or selling betel nuts and cigarettes.

[8] After troops supporting the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands were withdrawn in 2013, tensions around land surfaced the following year, with houses built by squatters from Rennell and Bellona Province being burnt out near to Honiara.

[9] When squatters from Honiara expanded onto land in Guadalcanal Province in 2016, warnings were again made about potential violence.