A tense calm returned to the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara Saturday, after days of rioting left at least three dead and reduced swathes of the city to smouldering ruins. For three straight days, angry mobs cut through the usually sleepy seaside capital, demanding the removal of prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. The pro-Beijing leader has claimed foreign powers opposed to his 2019 decision to switch the Solomons' diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China were behind the disturbances. FILE IMAGES of Sogavare being welcomed to Beijing in 2019 after establishing diplomatic ties with China.