Jimmy Lusibaea

Who is Jimmy Lusibaea?

Jimmy Lusibaea, also known as Jimmy "Rasta", is a Solomon Islands politician.

He became involved in the severe ethnic conflicts on Guadalcanal and Malaita in the early 2000s. He has been described as a "warlord", and was one of the leaders of the Malaita Eagle Force, an armed ethnic militia formed to fight for the interests of Malaitan migrants facing expulsion from Guadalcanal. He surrendered in 2003 when an international peacekeeping force, RAMSI, arrived in the Solomons. He was arrested, accused of several crimes, including having taken part in the attempted murder of bank manager Moses Garu; charges on that count were dropped when "witnesses failed to testify". He was convicted for a robbery committed in 2000, and given a five-year sentence. In 2006, he was "acquitted of the death of two special constables allegedly killed in his yard" in 2002.

Sent to prison after RAMSI's arrival, he "found religion on the inside and, on his release, set up a successful business". Having studied heavy plant mechanics at the Afutara Vocational School, he eventually became Managing Director of the Lion Heart Company, before going into politics in 2010.