The situation in New Caledonia has become increasingly volatile following the arrival of hundreds of French police reinforcements aimed at quelling riots.
The unrest began after the French legislature voted to alter electoral rolls, a decision seen by indigenous leaders as a threat to their political influence.
This has resulted in widespread violence, with five fatalities, numerous injuries, and around 200 arrests.
French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc has emphasized the necessity of deploying officers to reestablish control over disrupted areas.
The decision to allow more French residents to vote has sparked significant backlash, highlighting ongoing tensions between indigenous populations and French authorities in the territory.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that an additional 1,000 police officers will be deployed to New Caledonia, supplementing the 1,700 personnel already on the ground.
This move is part of an effort to control the severe unrest following the controversial changes to the electoral rolls.
Attal emphasized that authorities would seek the “harshest penalties for rioters and looters” in response to the violence, which has resulted in five deaths, numerous injuries, and about 200 arrests.
The increased police presence aims to restore order and address the heightened tensions in the territory.
In response to the escalating unrest in New Caledonia, authorities have declared a state of emergency, enforcing a night-time curfew and prohibiting public gatherings, the carrying of weapons, and the sale of alcohol. Schools are closed, and Noumea’s airport has suspended commercial flights.
The territory has been marked by significant violence and destruction, with images showing fires and smoke from a shopping center, burnt-out cars, and long queues outside shops.
Supermarkets are largely closed, and those open are experiencing shortages due to roadblocks. Ten independence activists accused of organizing the violence are under house arrest.
The protests have resulted in the deaths of two gendarmes and three Indigenous Kanak residents aged 17 to 36. Dozens of police officers have also been injured.
Five New Caledonian parties, including pro-independence groups, have issued a joint statement urging the population to remain calm and reasonable. The situation is being closely monitored by neighboring island states.
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), a regional organization, expressed that the current unrest in New Caledonia could have been avoided if the French government had heeded their concerns and refrained from advancing the Constitutional Bill that alters the distribution of seats in Congress.
The MSG includes members such as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia’s Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front.
This statement underscores the broader regional implications and discontent surrounding the French government’s actions in the territory.
New Caledonia, with a population of around 300,000, of which the indigenous Kanak people comprise about 40%, or 112,000 individuals, is experiencing its worst unrest since the 1980s. This group of islands, located between Australia and Fiji, has been a French territory since the 19th century.
The unrest was triggered by a proposal in the French National Assembly to grant voting rights to French residents who have lived in the territory for at least 10 years.
This change, which would require a constitutional amendment, has sparked significant backlash as it could dilute the political influence of the indigenous Kanak people.
Since the 1998 Nouméa Accord, political autonomy was increased and voting in provincial and assembly elections was limited to those who were residents at that time. Over 40,000 French nationals have moved to New Caledonia since then.
The Nouméa Accord also provided for three referendums on independence, all of which resulted in votes to remain part of France.
The first two referendums had slim majorities for staying with France, while the third, held in December 2021, was boycotted by pro-independence parties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
