Malaita Eagle Force
Encyclopedia
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 island. Their spokesperson was Andrew Nori and their media reports were entitled "The Eagles View Point".
The force was mainly engaged in fighting the Isatabu Freedom Movement
and the Solomon Islands government. The leader of the MEF is known as General Fads, a qualified ex-army officer who trained in the United Kingdom
with the British Infantry Division. One of its rebel leaders was Jimmy Rasta. Andrew Nori
has also been described as one of its early leaders, and was the spokesman for the Eagles when they overthrew Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
's government in June 2000.
In 1999 the MEF took over the role of military police
in Honiara
. They overprint
ed the current definitive stamp
s that had been seized from the post office
, with the words "Malaita Eagle Force", to indicate they were in power. However, these stamps were never officially issued because the Malaita Eagle Force were disarmed after the Townsville Peace Agreement
.
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
organization, originating in the island of 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...
, 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...
.
It was set up during 'The Tension' in the Solomons, which were mainly centred on 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...
, to defend diasporic Malaitans in Guadalcanal and the property of Malaitans that have left the island. Their spokesperson was Andrew Nori and their media reports were entitled "The Eagles View Point".
The force was mainly engaged in fighting the Isatabu Freedom Movement
Isatabu Freedom Movement
Isatabu Freedom Movement 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...
and the Solomon Islands government. The leader of the MEF is known as General Fads, a qualified ex-army officer who trained in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with the British Infantry Division. One of its rebel leaders was Jimmy Rasta. Andrew Nori
Andrew Nori
Andrew Nori is a Solomon Islands lawyer and politician, arguably best known for his role in the ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal in the late 1990s and early 2000s....
has also been described as one of its early leaders, and was the spokesman for the Eagles when they overthrew Prime Minister 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....
's government in June 2000.
In 1999 the MEF took over the role of military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
in Honiara
Honiara
Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...
. They overprint
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed the current definitive stamp
Definitive stamp
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp, that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service for an extended period of time...
s that had been seized from the post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with the words "Malaita Eagle Force", to indicate they were in power. However, these stamps were never officially issued because the Malaita Eagle Force were disarmed after 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:*...
.