US Returns Peace Corps to Solomon Islands After 25 Years, Pledges $6m for WWII Ordnance Removal
- US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signed a letter of intent to bring the Peace Corps back to the Solomon Islands during a meeting with Prime Minister Matthew Wale
- The move comes as Washington works to strengthen its presence in a Pacific region where China signed a security pact with the Solomons in 2022
- Landau also announced $6 million in new funding to clear unexploded World War Two ordnance from the islands
Washington has moved to deepen its engagement with the Solomon Islands, with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signing a letter of intent to return the Peace Corps to the Pacific island nation for the first time in more than 25 years.
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday that Landau met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale on Monday to discuss steps aimed at strengthening the bilateral relationship and attracting investment to the islands.
Source: Getty Images
Peace Corps to return after long absence
According to Reuters, the Peace Corps, a US government programme that sends volunteers to developing countries, operated in the Solomon Islands between 1971 and 2000, with more than 700 volunteers working on education, community development, and health initiatives during that period.
The programme was suspended in 2000 following political unrest. Landau, who also serves as acting director of the Peace Corps, formalised the commitment to its return through the letter of intent signed during Monday's meeting.
Alongside the Peace Corps announcement, Landau said the State Department would provide $6 million in new funding to expand its programme clearing unexploded World War Two ordnance from the islands, the site of the Battle of Guadalcanal fought between US and Japanese forces.
Strategic rivalry in the Pacific
The Solomon Islands, located roughly 2,000 kilometres northeast of Australia, occupy a strategically significant position in the Pacific. Analysts consider the country to have the closest ties among Pacific nations to China after it signed a security pact with Beijing in 2022, a development that raised alarm in Washington and among its regional allies.
The latest US engagement comes just days after China's Foreign Minister Wan Yi held talks with his Solomon Islands counterpart, a visit that followed China's military test-firing of a missile with a dummy warhead from a nuclear-powered submarine into the South Pacific. The launch drew criticism from several Pacific nations, including the Solomon Islands itself.
Prime Minister Wale publicly rebuked Beijing over the test, saying China is "a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does," while signalling his intention to strengthen ties with Australia.
The sequence of diplomatic activity from both Washington and Beijing underscores the growing competition for influence across the Pacific, with the Solomon Islands at the centre of those rival efforts.
Source: Getty Images
Peace Corps of Nigeria ranks structure
Legit.ng earlier reported that Peace Corps (English Peace Corps) is an irrespective federal organization of the US government. It was formed on March 1, 1961. The US Congress approved the institution on September 22, 1961, by the adoption of the Peace Corps Act. It is an humanitarian agency. Peace Corps dispatches volunteers to poverty-stricken countries to provide assistance.
Source: Legit.ng
