False claims of post-election unrest in Solomon Islands share fabricated images

Published on May 22, 2026 at 06:22
2 min read
By Dene-Hern CHEN, AFP Australia

Days after Solomon Islands elected a new prime minister who has been a critic of the South Pacific nation's closeness to China, social media users shared images of the National Provident Fund (NPF) building burning in the capital with a false claim it was set ablaze during a riot that had broken out. But the NPF told AFP that no fire had broken out and that the story was "entirely fabricated". Local police have also dismissed the claim and called on the public not to share the pictures.

"Big riot now happening in downtown. This time they are burning the NPF building at Point Cruz," read a Facebook post shared on May 17, 2026 written in Solomon Pijin language.

The post contained two images of a building with smoke billowing from its flaming roof before it was deleted.

Screenshot of the false post taken on May 21 with a red X added by AFP

The claim has circulated elsewhere on Facebook after the islands elected opposition leader Matthew Wale as prime minister on May 15 in a secret ballot of lawmakers -- about a week after his predecessor Jeremiah Manele was ousted in a no-confidence motion (archived link).

Wale, who leads the Solomon Islands Democratic Party, has been a critic of the South Pacific nation's closeness to Beijing -- a close partner in recent years after the Solomons switched in 2019 to recognising China over Taiwan, a democratic island that Beijing claims as its own (archived link).

Due to its ties with China, any change of leaders in the strategically located archipelago is closely watched by Western diplomats.

In 2021, the capital Honiara was rocked with anti-government riots, with anger directed at then-prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, the leader who had severed ties with Taiwan two years earlier (archived link).

But AFP cannot find credible media reports that violence had broken out after the 2026 election. The circulating images also show signs they are fabricated.

An image of the NPF building uploaded on Google Maps shows that its roof looks different from the one portrayed in the circulating pictures (archived link).

Comparison of the false post (L) and a picture of the National Provident Fund building seen on Google Maps

In addition, Bulk Shop, a grocery chain with a shop near the building -- which can also be seen in the foreground of the falsely shared images -- told AFP in a May 21 Facebook message that there have been no fires since the election (archived here and here).

A representative with the NPF also told AFP by email on May 22 that "there was no fire at the NPF Building, and the story is entirely fabricated" (archived link).

The same day that the burning building images started circulating, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) issued a statement saying the picture is fake (archived link).

RSIPF Commissioner Ian Vaevaso said in the statement that the images "should not be screenshotted and shared online" (archived link).

"With the formation of our new government, people should not create such alarming posts that disturb and cause fear to our people," he said, asking social media users to report the images and not to screenshot them.

The statement added that the police force was monitoring social media platforms and "will bring people involved for questioning and hold them accountable for their actions".

AFP has previously debunked other false claims concerning Solomon Islands.

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