Smouldering timber, tree branches and other debris block roads in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands after widespread rioting and protests against the rule of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Dubbed "the Hapi Isles", the archipelago nation of around 700,000 people has for decades been beset by ethnic and political tensions. The latest bout of unrest began on Wednesday when thousands of protesters besieged parliament, setting fire to an outbuilding and calling for Sogavare's ouster. Since then the protests have quickly descended into a violent free-for-all, with gangs of stick-wielding youths rampaging through the capital, stripping stores of goods and clashing with police.

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