Coconut War
Encyclopedia
The Coconut War was a brief clash between Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

n soldiers and rebels in Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....

 shortly before and after the independence of the Republic of Vanuatu was declared on 30 July 1980.

Background

Prior to Vanuatu's independence, the islands were known as the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...

. The New Hebrides were governed by a condominium
Condominium (international law)
In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.Although a condominium has always been...

 of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. In 1980, France and the United Kingdom agreed that Vanuatu would be granted independence on 30 July 1980.

Beginning in June 1980, Jimmy Stevens
Jimmy Stevens
Jimmy Stevens, known as "Moses" , was a Ni-Vanuatu nationalist and politician. As leader of the conservative Nagriamel movement, he declared the independence of Espiritu Santo island as the "State of Vemerana" in June 1980 and referred to himself as "prime minister"...

, head of the Nagriamel movement
Nagriamel
Nagriamel is a political movement initially based in the northern islands of the New Hebrides during the late 1970s.Nagriamel called for a focus on the traditional, village-centered way of life for the ni-Vanuatu people, though its messianic leader Jimmy Stevens and his compound in the Fanafo area...

, led an uprising against the colonial officials and the plans for independence. The uprising lasted about 12 weeks. The rebels blockaded Santo-Pekoa International Airport
Santo-Pekoa International Airport
Santo-Pekoa International Airport is an airport in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu . Airports Vanuatu Limited provides aviation services for the airport.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...

, destroyed two bridges, and declared the independence of Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....

 island as the "State of Vemerana". Stevens was supported by French-speaking
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 landowners and by the Phoenix Foundation
Phoenix Foundation
The Phoenix Foundation is a libertarian foundation that has supported numerous attempts which at times have been violent to create independent enclaves based on libertarian principles and tax havens. The foundation was a started by Nevada based real estate millionaire Michael Oliver, his friend...

, an American business foundation that supported the establishment a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

 tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....

 in the New Hebrides.

Confrontation

On 8 June, 1980, the New Hebrides government asked Britain and France to send troops to put down a rebellion on the island of Espiritu Santo. France refused to allow the United Kingdom to deploy troops to defuse the crisis, and French soldiers stationed on Espiritu Santo took no action. As independence day neared, the Prime Minister-elect, Walter Lini
Walter Lini
Father Walter Hadye Lini was an Anglican priest and the founding Prime Minister of Vanuatu. He was born on Pentecost Island. During the era when Vanuatu was a condominium ruled by the United Kingdom and France, Lini formed the Vanua'aku Pati, which was principally backed by English-speakers...

, asked Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

 if it would send troops to intervene. As Papua New Guinean soldiers began arriving in Espiritu Santo, the foreign press began referring to the ongoing events as the "Coconut War".

However, the "war" was brief and unconventional. The residents of Espiritu Santo generally welcomed the Papua New Guineans as fellow Melanesians. Stevens' followers were armed with only bows and arrows, rocks, and slings. There were few casualties, and the war came to a sudden end. When a vehicle carrying Stevens' son burst through a Papua New Guinean roadblock in late August 1980, the soldiers opened fire on the vehicle, killing Stevens' son. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy Stevens surrendered, stating that he had never intended that anyone be harmed.

At Stevens' trial, the support of the Phoenix Foundation to the Nagriamel movement was revealed. It was also revealed that the French government had secretly supported Stevens in his efforts. Stevens was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment; he remained in prison until 1991.

Contemporary newspaper reports

  • "New Hebrides Calling for Help to Put Down Rebellion", New York Times, 31 May 1980, p. 11
  • "Separatists Threaten Hebrides Unity", New York Times, 8 June 1980, p. E2
  • "New Hebrides Asks for Aid in Revolt; Plea Might Go to U.N.", New York Times, 8 June 1980, p. 12
  • "Unrest Spreads in New Hebrides", New York Times, 11 June 1980, p. A8
  • "British Answering New Hebrides Call; Company of Marines Being Sent 'to Provide Stability'", New York Times, 12 June 1980, p. A5
  • "British-French Control Ends in New Hebrides, Now Named Vanuatu", New York Times, 30 July 1980, p. 11
  • "Rebels Blow Up 2 Bridges On Island of Espiritu Santo", New York Times, 4 August 1980, p. A5
  • "40 Are Seized on Espiritu Santu In a Drive Against Secessionists", New York Times, 4 August 1980, p. B8
  • "55 French Are Evacuated From Espiritu Santo Island", New York Times, 18 August 1980, p. A5
  • "Leader of Espiritu Santo Rebels Says That He'll Surrender Today", New York Times, 29 August 1980, p. 3
  • "Troops Reportedly Crush Rebellion on Espiritu Santo", New York Times, 1 September 1980, p. A5

External links

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