Fears of escalation in Solomons crisis

Thousands of refugees have already fled their homes

Tensions is high in the Solomon Islands amid fears that the entry of a third rebel group into the conflict could lead to an escalation of fighting.

One man was shot dead on Sunday when militiamen took control of the town of Gizo in the west of the Pacific state, some 370km (230 miles) northwest of the capital, Honiara.

The conflict has spread to another island

The attack was carried out by a group thought to have links to the separatist Bougainville Revolutionary Army in neighbouring Papua New Guinea.

According to local officials, the group's leaders said they wanted to protect the western province from the Malaita Eagles Force (MEF) - the group that seized key installations in the capital Honiara last Monday.

The heavily-armed group of about 50 men is now reported to have returned to Bougainville.

Uneasy truce

On the main island, Guadalcanal, an uneasy truce remains in force following last Monday's coup attempt.

The Malaitans say they are trying to stop the indigenous Isatabus in Guadalcanal forcing them back to Malaita island.

The New Zealand Foreign Minister, Phil Goff, who has just returned from a visit to Guadalcanal as part of a Commonwealth peace delegation, says he believes Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa-alu - himself a Malaitan - will resign this week.

He said Mr Ulufa-alu feared that his life and that of his family was at risk if he stayed in office.

He added that the entry of the Bougainvillean militants into the fighting risked bringing "a new and quite dangerous component" into the crisis.

Confidence vote

Pressure to quit: Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu

A parliamentary vote of no confidence in Mr Ulufa'alu's government is scheduled for Thursday.

Mr Ulufa'alu was seized at gunpoint on Monday during the attempted coup, but was freed by the rebels five days later when the MEF and their rivals - the Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM) - declared a two week truce.

Both groups are now moving into positions east and west of Honiara and around the airport, which has seen most of the fighting.

The Isatabu, from Guadalcanal, are resentful of migration to their island by Malaitans, who have taken top jobs in Honiara.

The MEF and the IFM have been fighting for 18 months over land rights. The recent fighting has left at least 55 people dead and driven 20,000 Malaitans from their homes.

The Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, who led the Commonwealth peace mission said that the situation in the Solomons remained "extremely uncertain" although his team had been able to set up a process of negotiation between the parties involved.

The envoys ruled out sending peacekeepers, saying they wanted to see a quick return to constitutional government and the restoration of law and order.