Pacific

Cyclone Yasa landfall in Fiji yesterday, carrying destructive winds of up to 345km/h, heavy rain and storm swells, has flattened homes and left major devastation to roads, and vegetation. More than 600,000 people in the South Pacific island nation are now affected, thousands of which are already in evacuation centers as the tropical storm disrupted access to essential utilities including water supply and sanitation facilities, as well as food.

Vanuatu is a lush archipelago of more than 80 scattered volcanic islands. Its 246,000 people, the Ni-Vanuatu, have been spared the civil and political unrest that has affected neighboring Melanesian nations but its economy is failing to meet the needs of an increasing and young population.

The Solomon Islands faces some of the most difficult challenges in the Pacific. Ethnic violence, fragile state institutions, corruption and increasing crime have affected the country’s development.