Red Cross supports affected families in Guadalcanal Plains
ABOUT 58 families in Tuebala village on Guadalcanal Plains are homeless and currently taking refuge at a church hall after their homes were burnt down during an attack as a result of a dispute.
The incident occurred at Tuebala village on Easter Monday – 5th April, a statement by Solomon Islands Red Cross Society (SIRCS) said yesterday.
It was revealed, during the early morning attack, villagers were chased out of their homes, leaving the young children, mothers, youths, and the elderly running for their lives with only the clothes they have.
As a result, Red Cross has stepped in to assist the families after a request was received from the victims.
As part of the support, Red Cross had provided tarpaulins, shelter kits, hygiene kits, blankets, buckets, and drinking containers to the families.
“The incident occurred on Easter Monday which saw 58 families fled their homes to seek safety at Gorou Catholic Church Hall, following an intrusion into their settlement by people from a nearby village.
“The men allegedly torched their homes and destroyed fruit trees,” the statement said.
Speaking to Red Cross following the incident, a village elder named Bernard Chonigolo reflected on the effects of the incident and what they did.
“It was on Easter Monday; many of us have just woken up and preparing breakfast and go out for work. We were taken by surprise when men from the other village began shouting in the bushes and coming towards us. We can sense that they are angry and are going to cause trouble. Many of us fled for our lives with only the clothes we wore,” Mr. Chonigolo recalled.
He said, since they were left with nothing, someone had advised them to see help from Red Cross.
“We were left with nothing and that we do not know where we could get assistance from. Luckily one of our females thought to try and seek help from anywhere possible, reaching the Red Cross office and making a report on what has happened to us. It was sad situation for us as we have been living here for the past 16 years,” Mr. Chonigolo said.
Red Cross said the affected families are now provided with shelter at the Gorou Catholic Church Hall, where Catholic Parish leaders there have been kind in taking them in for the moment.
“We are so thankful to the Catholic Church leaders here at Gorou for kindly accepting us and providing shelter for us here. It would have been very difficult for us if we were not being able to find anywhere to shelter just after the incident. We are also grateful to the Red Cross for stepping in to relief our situation too,” Mr. Chonigolo further stated.
A number of children and mothers were left traumatised following the incident.
Speaking to the paper last night, Kennedy Waitara Honihera Red Cross Dissemination/Communications Officer said a team from Red Cross visited the village to conduct an assessment as part of their verification process.
He said based on their observation a number of thatched (leaf) homes and a semi-permanent home were burnt down during the incident.
It’s unclear whether looting also took place during the attack.
It’s understood the matter is now being handled by the Guadalcanal Provincial Police through Tetere Police for further investigation.
Attempts by the paper to get comments from the Tetere Police last night were unsuccessful.
