SOLOMON Islands, wracked for five years by internal strife that saw hundreds killed and at least 20,000 driven from their homes, is launching a national reconciliation process with the help of South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tutu opens the South Pacific nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday - six years after Australian-led peacekeeping troops and police arrived in the troubled islands to help restore civic order.
Prime Minister Derek Sikua said Tutu's presence would inspire Solomon Islanders to help to heal old wounds caused by the violence and civil unrest.
The commission, made up of three eminent Solomon Islanders and two international members, is expected to sit for a year, with a provision to extend it for another year.
'It represents a turning point in our efforts to move away from bitterness and resentment, and to create a shared future as a unified nation,' PM Sikua said on Tuesday.
The retired archbishop Tutu is deeply revered in the largely Anglican South Pacific state, both for his role in chairing South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for his commitment to promoting human rights and opposing racism.
The hundreds of troops and police of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands have provided security for villagers to return to their homes and resume normal lives.
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