There have been serious riots in New Caledonia in the South Pacific for days. Separatists in the French overseas territory are resisting a constitutional reform planned by Paris.
The serious unrest in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia continues – now for the third day in a row. On Wednesday night, at least 60 police officers were injured in the violent protests by independence supporters and 130 people were arrested, public broadcaster 1ère Nouvelle-Calédonie reported. According to eyewitnesses, there was an acrid smell of burning over the capital Nouméa. The main airport, La Tontouta, schools and public services remain closed until further notice. Long queues formed in front of many shops due to fears of food shortages.
The separatists are angry about a planned constitutional reform by the government in Paris that would give thousands of French voters in the South Pacific island nation the right to vote and therefore more political influence. After the Senate, the National Assembly in Paris also adopted the controversial text on Wednesday night. Now the Congrès du Parlement, which is convened for special occasions at the Palace of Versailles, still has to give its consent, reported the broadcaster France24. However, a date has not yet been set.
French President Emmanuel Macron invited New Caledonia’s political representatives to a meeting in Paris led by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The talks are expected to take place at the end of May. In Nouméa, numerous buildings and cars went up in flames. The air monitoring association Scal’Air said the air pollution was significant because of the heavy smoke. In some parts of the city, the highest alert level was issued due to dangerous fine dust levels.
New Caledonia is around 17,000 kilometers from France, but is particularly important to Paris geopolitically, militarily and because of the nickel deposits there. Residents voted to remain with France in three referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021. However, the independence movement boycotted the final vote and announced that it would not accept the result. The Kanak population in particular – New Caledonia’s indigenous people – has long been hoping for their own state. Paris, meanwhile, hopes to conclude a new agreement in the coming weeks.
The territory with around 270,000 inhabitants had already achieved extensive autonomy through the Nouméa Agreement in 1998. As part of the decolonization of New Caledonia, it was agreed to hold up to three votes on independence. Since the last vote, however, the fronts have hardened.