Isatabu Freedom Movement
Encyclopedia
Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFB) is a nationalist militant organisation of the island of Guadalcanal
in the Solomon Islands
.
The movement also included other factions such as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army and the Guadalcanal Liberation Front which was led by warlord
Harold Keke
. It was engaged in fighting against the Solomon Island Government and the Guadalcanal Provincial Government as well as with another militant organization, Malaita Eagle Force
.
The group is said to be influenced by the Moro Movement
of the 1930s, with its return to the name of Isatabu from the colonial Guadalcanal, and demands the establishment of a federal
government system.http://peb.anu.edu.au/pdf/naitoro2000.pdf
Most militants, with the notable exception of Keke and the GLF, put down arms after leaders signed the Townsville Peace Agreement
.
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. [But] when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist," (Anon)
The above saying epitomizes what is happening to us.
Look, Mr. Government, when we give our land for your benefit and that of the nation-state,
You call us generous.
When we ask why we have not benefited, you ignored us.
When we start shouting, wanting to be heard, you call us troublemakers.
When we take up arms to ask what rightfully belongs to us, you call us militants.
When we became angry because you trampled on us, you call us hot-headed youth.
Those are the names you use to justify your disregard for/of us.
Soon, you may call us guerrillas or terrorists.
That, however, will not get rid of us.
(Isatabu Tavuli: The Isatabu Freedom Movement newsletter, 24 February 2000, volume 1 number 3: 3).
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...
in the Solomon Islands
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...
.
The movement also included other factions such as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army and the Guadalcanal Liberation Front which was led by 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...
Harold Keke
Harold Keke
Harold Keke is a Solomon Islands warlord involved with the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army .-Biography:The grandson of one of the founders of the South Seas Evangelical Church in Australia, Keke was raised a Catholic in the Solomons, but left the faith to become a petty criminal in Papua New Guinea...
. It was engaged in fighting against the Solomon Island Government and the Guadalcanal Provincial Government as well as with another militant organization, 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...
.
The group is said to be influenced by the Moro Movement
Moro Movement
The aim of the Moro Movement of Isatabu, in the Solomon Islands, has been described as “Sai lima horohoro tuali” – “Putting lands together in living as before”...
of the 1930s, with its return to the name of Isatabu from the colonial Guadalcanal, and demands the establishment of a federal
Federal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
government system.http://peb.anu.edu.au/pdf/naitoro2000.pdf
Most militants, with the notable exception of Keke and the GLF, put down arms after leaders signed the Townsville Peace Agreement
Townsville Peace Agreement
The Townsville Peace Agreement was signed in Townsville, Australia on 15 October 2000 between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Isatabu Freedom Movement. The Agreement successfully calmed the situation in Honiara and the Islands in general after the coup d’état of June that year.-External links:*...
.
Quote
Dear Mr. Government"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. [But] when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist," (Anon)
The above saying epitomizes what is happening to us.
Look, Mr. Government, when we give our land for your benefit and that of the nation-state,
You call us generous.
When we ask why we have not benefited, you ignored us.
When we start shouting, wanting to be heard, you call us troublemakers.
When we take up arms to ask what rightfully belongs to us, you call us militants.
When we became angry because you trampled on us, you call us hot-headed youth.
Those are the names you use to justify your disregard for/of us.
Soon, you may call us guerrillas or terrorists.
That, however, will not get rid of us.
(Isatabu Tavuli: The Isatabu Freedom Movement newsletter, 24 February 2000, volume 1 number 3: 3).