Harold Keke
Encyclopedia
Harold Keke is a Solomon Islands
warlord
involved with the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA).
in Australia, Keke was raised a Catholic in the Solomons, but left the faith to become a petty criminal in Papua New Guinea
. After a number of years, he returned home, where he took work as a police officer, and embraced evangelical Christianity.
During the 1990s, tensions flared up between indigenous inhabitants of Guadalcanal
and immigrants from neighboring Malaita
. Following the election of Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
, militants, including those led by a newly-radicalized Keke, began a campaign of intimidation and violence against Malaitan settlers. This, including Keke's 1998 raid of a police armory, led to the formation of the Malaita Eagle Force
(MEF) and all out ethnic warfare in the islands.
Keke views himself as a prophet, leading his people to their "promised land". He also claims that he had political backing for the start of the conflict from then-premier Ezekiel Alebua
— who provided money, weapons, and ammunition for the GRA. This claim has been denied by Alebua, who calls Keke "little more than a violent thug".
During the ensuing conflict, the MEF gained the upper hand, deposing the government and gaining control of most police forces; making them a de facto extension of the militias. Many of the militias opposed to the MEF struck a peace deal in late 2000, but Keke refused to sign, moving his soldiers into the jungles of the Weather Coast to avoid capture.
The GRA, under Keke's leadership, has been accused of a variety of crimes, including arson, kidnapping, assassination, and murder. Keke has been personally implicated in more than 50 murders, including that of cabinet minister and priest Augustine Geve
, as well as six missionaries from the Melanesian Brotherhood
.
In late 2003, following the arrival of a multi-national intervention force led by Australia
, Keke called for a cease-fire, and surrendered to peace-keepers. In 2005, he was convicted of the murder of Geve, and sentenced to life in prison.
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
involved with the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA).
Biography
The grandson of one of the founders of the South Seas Evangelical ChurchSouth Seas Evangelical Church
The South Seas Evangelical Church is an evangelical, Pentecostal church in the Solomon Islands. In total, 17% of the population of the Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Roman...
in Australia, Keke was raised a Catholic in the Solomons, but left the faith to become a petty criminal in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. After a number of years, he returned home, where he took work as a police officer, and embraced evangelical Christianity.
During the 1990s, tensions flared up between indigenous inhabitants of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
and immigrants from neighboring Malaita
Malaita
Malaita is the largest island of the Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. A tropical and mountainous island, Malaita's pristine river systems and tropical forests have not been exploited. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with 140,000 people or more than a third of the...
. Following the election of Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu was the fifth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000....
, militants, including those led by a newly-radicalized Keke, began a campaign of intimidation and violence against Malaitan settlers. This, including Keke's 1998 raid of a police armory, led to the formation of the Malaita Eagle Force
Malaita Eagle Force
Malaita Eagles Force is a militant organization, originating in the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands.It was set up during 'The Tension' in the Solomons, which were mainly centred on Guadalcanal, to defend diasporic Malaitans in Guadalcanal and the property of Malaitans that have left the...
(MEF) and all out ethnic warfare in the islands.
Keke views himself as a prophet, leading his people to their "promised land". He also claims that he had political backing for the start of the conflict from then-premier Ezekiel Alebua
Ezekiel Alebua
Ezekiel Alebua was the third Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 1 December 1986 - 28 March 1989. He was the foreign minister of that country from 1981 to 1982. He was the premier of Guadalcanal province from 1998 to 2003, and antagonized some people in that area for not supporting moves to...
— who provided money, weapons, and ammunition for the GRA. This claim has been denied by Alebua, who calls Keke "little more than a violent thug".
During the ensuing conflict, the MEF gained the upper hand, deposing the government and gaining control of most police forces; making them a de facto extension of the militias. Many of the militias opposed to the MEF struck a peace deal in late 2000, but Keke refused to sign, moving his soldiers into the jungles of the Weather Coast to avoid capture.
The GRA, under Keke's leadership, has been accused of a variety of crimes, including arson, kidnapping, assassination, and murder. Keke has been personally implicated in more than 50 murders, including that of cabinet minister and priest Augustine Geve
Augustine Geve
Augustine Geve was a Solomon Islands Catholic priest and politician.He was first elected to Parliament in the December 2001 general election, as MP for South Guadalcanal, at the time of the violent ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal...
, as well as six missionaries from the Melanesian Brotherhood
Melanesian Brotherhood
The Melanesian Brotherhood is an Anglican religious community of men in simple vows based primarily in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.- History :...
.
In late 2003, following the arrival of a multi-national intervention force led by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Keke called for a cease-fire, and surrendered to peace-keepers. In 2005, he was convicted of the murder of Geve, and sentenced to life in prison.
See also
- History of the Solomon Islands
- Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon IslandsRegional Assistance Mission to the Solomon IslandsThe Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands , also known as Operation Helpem Fren, was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands...
- Politics of the Solomon IslandsPolitics of the Solomon IslandsPolitics of Solomon Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy within the Commonwealth, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Solomon Islands is an independent country and Commonwealth Realm. Executive...