Noumea, France:

Several buildings, including a police station and a town hall, were set on fire in New Caledonia overnight, authorities said Monday, as the French Pacific territory was hit by a fresh surge of unrest.

“The night was… marked by unrest throughout the mainland and on the island of Pins and Mare, requiring the intervention of numerous reinforcements: with attacks on the police, arson and roadblocks”, the High Commission, which represents the French state in the archipelago, said in a press release.

Rioting and looting erupted in New Caledonia in mid-May over an electoral reform plan that Indigenous Kanak people feared would leave them in a permanent minority, putting independence hopes definitively out of reach. 

The unrest left nine dead and damage estimated at more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion).

The French government responded by sending more than 3,000 troops and police to the territory almost 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris.

In Dumbea, north of the capital Noumea, the municipal police station and a garage were set alight. Four armoured vehicles intervened, an AFP journalist said.

Several fires broke out in the Ducos and Magenta districts of Noumea, while police and separatists clashed in Bourail, resulting in one injury, AFP learned.

The High Commission reported “several fires were extinguished”, particularly in Ducos and Magenta, adding that “the premises and vehicles of the municipal police and private vehicles” were set on fire.

“Abuses, destruction and attempted fires were also committed in several places in Paita,” in the Noumea suburbs, added the High Commission, which said police in Mare had also been attacked.

On Monday morning, many schools were closed due to the renewed unrest.

On Saturday, seven independence activists linked to a group accused of orchestrating the riots last month were indicted and sent to mainland France for pre-trial detention.

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The first evacuation flights for tourists stranded in France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia took off Saturday, the high commission in the archipelago said, as President Emmanuel Macron’s government sought to defuse the crisis.

The international airport in the capital Noumea has remained closed for more than a week and all commercial flights have been cancelled due to the unrest until at least Tuesday.

“Measures to send foreigners and French tourists home continue,” the high commission, which represents the French state, said in a statement.

The tourists departed Saturday from the Magenta airfield in Noumea aboard military aircraft headed for Australia and New Zealand, according to an AFP journalist.

They will then have to take commercial flights to mainland France.

“I came on vacation to visit my best friend… The conflict broke out and I got stuck,” in Noumea, Audrey, who did not give her last name, told AFP.

Australia and New Zealand had already begun repatriating their nationals on Tuesday.

The situation has been gradually easing for the many people trapped in the territory that has been shaken since May 13 by riots over planned voting reforms.

Seven people have been killed in the violence, the latest a man shot dead on Friday by a policeman who was attacked by protesters.

Possible referendum

New Caledonia has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France’s power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.

France is planning to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks say would dilute the influence of their votes.

President Emmanuel Macron flew to the archipelago on Thursday in an urgent bid to defuse the political crisis.

He pledged during his lightning trip that the planned voting reforms “will not be forced through”.

On Saturday, Macron said he would be willing to hold a referendum on the contentious changes, though he hoped that election Caledonia officials would be able to reach an agreement.

“I can move toward a referendum at any time,” he told the Parisien newspaper in an interview.

“Even if the violence ends, we will have to live together again. That’s the hardest thing,” he said.

The pro-independence FLNKS party on Saturday reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of the voting reforms after meeting with Macron.

“The FLNKS asked the president of the French Republic that a strong announcement be made from him indicating the withdrawal of the draft constitutional law,” it said in a statement, saying it was a “prerequisite to ending the crisis”.

In Paris, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said: “The situation in New Caledonia today remains extremely fragile”.

France has enforced a state of emergency, flying in hundreds of police and military reinforcements to restore order in the Pacific archipelago, around 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from mainland France.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the central police station in Noumea, France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia on May 23, 2024. Photo: Via Reuters

President Emmanuel Macron pushed on May 23 for a lifting of protesters’ barricades in riot-hit New Caledonia and pledged that reinforced police forces battling deadly unrest on the French Pacific archipelago “will stay as long as necessary,” even when French security services will be focused in weeks ahead on the massive security operation for the Paris Olympics.

By binning his previously announced schedule to fly across the globe from Paris on his presidential jet, Mr. Macron brought the weight of his office and his personal touch to bear on the crisis that has left six dead and a trail of destruction on the archipelago that is a global source of nickel, used in batteries and other everyday necessities, and where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought independence from France.

Pro-independence Kanak leaders, who a week earlier declined Mr. Macron’s offer of talks by video, turned out on May 23 to greet him in person, bringing them together at a meeting in the capital Nouméa, with rival loyalist leaders who want New Caledonia, which became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, to remain part of France.

Mr. Macron opened the meeting by calling for a minute of silence for the six people killed in shootings during the violence, including two gendarmes, and read out their names. He subsequently urged local leaders to use their clout to help restore order. He said a state of emergency imposed by Paris the previous week to boost police powers could be lifted only if local leaders call for a clearing away of barricades that demonstrators and people trying to protect their neighborhoods have erected in Nouméa and beyond.

“It’s a simple phrase and it’s best to say because it can have an effect,” Mr. Macron said.

Barricades have turned some parts of Nouméa into no-go zones and made travelling around perilous, including for the sick requiring medical treatment and for families fretting about where to find food and water after shops were pillaged and torched. Unrest continued to simmer even as Mr. Macron jetted in, despite a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and more than 1,000 reinforcements for the archipelago’s police and gendarmes, now 3,000-strong, the French leader said.

“I will be very clear here. These forces will remain as long as necessary. Even during the Olympic Games and Paralympics [which open in Paris on July 26],” Mr. Macron said.

It was late on May 21 in Paris when he left on the 16,000-kilometre (10,000-mile) trip but, because of the distance and time difference, already on May 23 morning in New Caledonia when he arrived, with his Interior and Defence Ministers in tow.

At Nouméa’s La Tontouta International Airport, used for special evacuation flights for stranded tourists but still closed to commercial services, Mr. Macron said on arrival that he wanted “to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible”.

Mr. Macron added that he would discuss the resources needed to repair the damage wrought by days of shootings, arson and other violence that has left at least six dead. The destruction is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars).

“We will discuss questions of economic reconstruction, support and rapid response, and the most delicate political questions, as we talk about the future of New Caledonia,” he said. “By the end of the day, decisions will be taken and announcements will be made.”

When asked by a reporter whether he thought a 12-hour visit was enough, Mr. Macron responded, “We will see. I don’t have a limit.”

The violence erupted May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

There have been decades of tensions over the issue of independence between the Kanaks and descendants of colonists and others who settled in the territory of 2,70,000 people and want to remain part of France.

Mr. Macron, in the past, has facilitated dialogue in New Caledonia between pro-independence and pro-France factions. The efforts culminated in a 2018 referendum, the first of three, in which New Caledonians voted to remain part of France by a narrow margin.

The violence is the most severe in New Caledonia since the 1980s, the last time France imposed on state of emergency on the archipelago. French authorities say more than 280 people have been arrested.

The French government has declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia, the semi-autonomous French Pacific territory, after three nights of deadly clashes resulted in four deaths and hundreds of injuries. Apart from deploying troops in the area, the government has also banned TikTok. 

After the clashes, streets were filled with debris from burned buildings and materials used in riots. Armoured vehicles were patrolling the now-empty streets, while locals set up makeshift roadblocks — made of wooden pallets, bedframes, wheelbarrows, tree fronds etc — out of fear. 

Why French government has declared emergency

The government’s declaration of an emergency comes after they initiated a “massive” mobilisation of security forces as an effort to restore order. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that troops were sent to secure ports and the international airport, which, for now, is closed to commercial flights.

The security forces responded by putting five suspected leaders under house arrest and planning house searches. Over 200 “rioters” were arrested, with reports of hundreds injured, including 64 police officers. TikTok was banned because it was used by rioters, with almost 20 related accounts identified by AFP.

France is creating an “air bridge” to quickly send troops, police reinforcements, and essential supplies to New Caledonia. French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to talk with New Caledonian lawmakers and urged them to engage in political conversations and negotiations to address the current situation.

Why the people of New Caledonia are protesting

The unrest stems from protests over a proposed amendment to the French Constitution that would impose new local voting rules in the Pacific archipelago. The violence erupted from pro-independence protests, largely led by indigenous groups, reports said. The clashes, including gunfire that claimed the life of a police officer, mark the deadliest violence seen in the region since the 1980s. 

New Caledonia, located between Australia and Fiji, remains under French control  but with a “special status”. While it rejected independence in past elections, many Kanak people, whose ancestors have lived on the islands for thousands of years, still support the idea.

As people protested on the streets, miles away, the French National Assembly voted to allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote. However, this reform still needs approval from both houses of the French parliament. Pro-independence groups argued that this change would weaken the voting power of Kanaks, who make up about 41% of the population. On the other hand, supporters of the reform say that voter lists haven’t been updated since 1998, which leaves out newer residents from voting in provincial polls. 

What the state of emergency means

The state of emergency allows authorities to enforce travel bans, house arrests, and searches, along with a night curfew and bans on gatherings, weapon possession, and alcohol sales. Nearly 1,800 law enforcement officers are deployed, with 500 reinforcements planned, according to a French government spokeswoman.

French gendarme patrol at a roundabout in Noumea, New Caledonia, Sunday Dec.12, 2021. At least two people were killed and three were seriously injured overnight in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, French officials there said Wednesday, May 15, 2024, as President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of top ministers to discuss the spiraling violence.
| Photo Credit: AP

France imposed an emergency on May 15 in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia for at least 12 days, boosting security forces’ powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence.

Armed clashes and other violence that erupted on May 13 following protests over voting reforms have left four people dead, including a gendarme, and injured more than 300, French authorities said.

French military forces were being deployed to protect ports and airports, to free up police and security forces battling looting, arson and other violence, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced as the emergency measures kicked in at 8 p.m. Paris time, which was 5 a.m. Thursday in New Caledonia.

“Nothing can ever justify violence,” Attal said. “Our absolute priority for the next few hours is the return to order and calm.”

The emergency measures give authorities greater powers to tackle the violence, including the possibility of house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanded powers to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators. The last time France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia, the Interior Ministry said.

France’s government also rushed hundreds of police reinforcements to the island, where pro-independence supporters have long pushed to break free from France. The Interior Ministry said 500 additional officers were expected within hours on the archipelago to bolster 1,800 police and gendarmes already there.

There have been more than 130 arrests so far, French authorities said.

Speaking to broadcaster France Info on May 15, Anne Clément, a resident of the capital, Noumea, hailed security forces reinforcements because the unrest has morphed into “a real urban guerrilla war.”

People have been confined to their homes for two days, terrified by “shooting from all sides,” Clément, a nursery director, told the French broadcaster. “We’ve stopped eating, we’ve stopped living, we’ve stopped sleeping,” she added.

“I don’t see how we could get out of the situation without the state of emergency,” she said.

There have been decades of tensions on the archipelago between Indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.

After a two-hour security meeting Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and top ministers, Attal told parliament in Paris that the state of emergency would aim “to restore order in the shortest time possible.”

This week’s unrest erupted as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to make changes to voter lists in New Caledonia. The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents say the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize indigenous Kanak people. They once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination. The vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia is 10 time zones ahead of Paris.

From Macron down, France’s government made repeated calls for an end to the violence.

The territory’s top French official, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, warned of the possibility of “many deaths” if calm isn’t restored. A police station was among dozens of places that were attacked, with shots fired, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said. Posting on X, he said a gendarme who had been shot was among the dead.

In Paris, Mr. Macron emphasized the need for political dialogue. Rival political parties in New Caledonia also jointly called for calm, saying in a statement: “We have to continue to live together.”

An overnight curfew in New Caledonia was extended to Thursday. Schools and the main airport remained closed, Le Franc said.

“The situation is not serious, it is very serious,” Le Franc said. “We have entered a dangerous spiral, a deadly spiral.”

He said some residents in the capital and neighboring municipalities formed “self-defense groups” to protect their homes and businesses.

New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon’s nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.

A peace deal between rival factions was reached in 1988. A decade later, France promised to grant New Caledonia political power and broad autonomy and hold up to three successive referendums.

The three referendums were organized between 2018 to 2021 and a majority of voters chose to remain part of France instead of backing independence. The pro-independence Kanak people rejected the results of the last referendum in 2021, which they boycotted because it was held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.