In the turquoise waters of the South Pacific, the tranquility of New Caledonia, a French overseas territory, has been shattered by three consecutive days of violence. Tensions escalated further in a land that sought autonomy and remained faithful to its colonial past after the French government declared a state of emergency. The spark for the turmoil was the protests over the reform of the voting system promoted by President Emmanuel Macron's government.
According to British media on May 17, five people have been killed in the wake of demonstrations earlier this week, including two police officers.
High Commissioner Louise LeFrank revealed that on Thursday alone, more than 60 security personnel were injured and 214 people were arrested for clashes with police, arson and looting.
French Prime Minister Gagabriel Atal assured the people after a meeting at the Élysée Palace that the government was doing its utmost to restore "the order and tranquillity that the people of New Caledonia deserve".
He announced the deployment of an additional 1,000 members of the security forces to support, but noted that the situation remains extremely tense, with looting, rioting, arson and attacks persisting.
The Minister of the Interior and Minister for the Overseas Territories, Gérald Moussa Darmanin, condemned the violence and confirmed that two of the dead were from the Karnak indigenous community.
He vowed to regain control in France and revealed that 10 members of the pro-independence group Coordination Unit for Field Operations had been held at home. Despite the group's alleged involvement in the violence, Darmanin insisted that it was just a small group of people who claimed to be supporters of independence but were in fact engaged in looting, murder and violence.
The leaders of the Carnak Workers' Union in Paris called for calm on all sides and expressed deep sorrow over the deaths in their distant homeland. They want the government to engage in dialogue rather than just sending troops, and "opening a dialogue is a strong political statement," said coalition leader Rock Hawcas.
In New Caledonia, the Congress of National Leaders of Karnak strongly condemned the violence, while denying the involvement of pro-independence movements in deadly conflicts. Grand Chief Hipolit Sinewamy-Hattamumu expressed his full support for the peaceful protest group, stressing that it is a million-strong force of people of all ages and backgrounds, and is not a "terrorist organization" or a "gangster" as described by some political leaders.
The state of emergency will last for at least 12 days, and the French military is deploying forces to protect ports and airports in order to free up police forces. The curfew was also extended, High Commissioner LeFrank revealed. The island's political parties also called on the independence faction and the pro-French side to remain calm.
The last time France imposed a state of emergency in its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia. These measures are intended to give the local and French authorities special powers, including home confinement of persons who pose a threat to public order, searches, seizure of weapons and restrictions on movement, and the possible imposition of imprisonment for violators.
The island, with some 270,000 inhabitants on Australia's eastern side, is known for its UNESCO World Heritage Atolls and coral reefs, but internal tensions have persisted for years. The Carnak natives sought independence, while the descendants of the colonists wanted to maintain the status quo as part of France.
New Caledonia has been a French territory under Napoleon III since 1853, an overseas territory after World War II, and French citizenship was granted to all Canaks in 1957.
The 1988 Mathignon Accords sought to ease tensions between the two sides, followed by France's commitment to political power and broad autonomy for New Caledonia and to hold up to three referendums on its future status.
In referendums held between 2018 and 2021, a majority of voters chose New Caledonia to remain in France rather than become independent. However, the pro-independence Kanaks refused to accept the results after boycotting the last referendum held during the pandemic in 2021.
In the face of the impasse, President Macron promised to convene an extraordinary session of the National Assembly by the end of June to pass constitutional amendments to bring the reform bill into force if a meaningful dialogue and consensus among local delegates could not be reached.