HONIARA, Solomon Islands, Aug. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Exactly 80 years after the end of World War II in the Pacific, Solomon Islands, site of the Battle of Guadalcanal, is still grappling with a deadly legacy: hundreds of thousands of unexploded and abandoned munitions scattered across its islands, posing a persistent threat to lives, livelihoods, and development.

"The UXO threat in Solomon Islands is not just a historical issue – it's a daily danger," Emily Davis, Programme Manager of The HALO Trust in the South Pacific island nation, said today. "Children are still finding grenades in their backyards. Some impoverished communities are harvesting explosives for fishing. And we still don't know how many lives have been lost."

Despite the passage of time, the scale of contamination remains vast and largely undocumented. The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department (RSIPF EODD) has destroyed more than 50,000 explosive items since 2011, yet this represents only a fraction of the problem. A recent review by The HALO Trust found that 80% of recovered ordnance was of U.S. origin, 17% Japanese, and 3% from other nations.

In 2023, the scale of the problem was starkly illustrated during preparations for the Pacific Games. Contractors building a stadium on a 15-acre site in the heart of the capital city, Honiara, found over 8,000 explosive items. A common story across Honiara, a city of almost 100,000 people built on top of the Guadalcanal battle site.   

Thanks to generous support from the United States Government and the American people, The HALO Trust is working alongside the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, and the RSIPF EODD. The HALO Trust is using battlefield records to identify hazardous areas, including informal settlements such as Mbokona, where a nine-year-old showed HALO a WWII-era grenade found in a stream next to their home.

To support public safety, HALO has launched an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education campaign, distributing leaflets, posters, and school materials. All materials include safety guidance such as "don't build fires."

Photography of ordnance on Solomon Islands available to download from this link

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SOURCE The Halo Trust