The Élysée Palace announced that the state of emergency in New Caledonia was lifted last week, with relative calm prevailing in Noumea and its suburbs after two weeks of rioting and tension. The presidency said in a statement that this “will allow meetings to be held for various components of the Kanak Socialist Front (main independence movement) and movements across roadblocks for officials able to call for its lifting.” Concurrently, the Élysée Palace announced the dispatch of “seven additional units of mobile gendarmes, totaling 480 gendarmes.” In total, 3.500 security forces will be deployed in the archipelago, where two gendarmes died during the riots. The state of emergency was imposed on May 15 (Paris time, May 16 in Noumea), following subsequent violence that resulted in seven deaths. It was sparked by a constitutional amendment adopted in Paris allowing an increase in the number eligible to vote in local elections, which independence supporters saw as diminishing their influence.
A correspondent for AFP in Noumea reported relative calm despite signs of clashes in the impoverished Vale de Tir area. In Noumea, traffic resumed with congestion indicating a return to normalcy. Many barriers have been removed elsewhere, while some remain but are unattended. However, the situation remains difficult in some neighborhoods. On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron tempered his statements during his visit to Berlin regarding the possibility of organizing a national referendum on expanding the number eligible to vote. He said this possibility stems from a “simple reading of the constitution” and not from “intent.” Macron, who visited New Caledonia, added that he wants to prioritize a “comprehensive agreement” on this matter and the future of the archipelago, between loyalist elected officials and independence supporters, giving them time until the end of June to agree on it. The Kanak Front (Kanak Socialist Liberation Front) acknowledged that “the main objective of the independence movement today is to ease tensions and find permanent solutions for our country.” Separatists still demand the withdrawal of the constitutional reform that led to the worst violence in 40 years, awakening the specter of “the events” that left around 80 dead from 1984 to 1988, raising fears of New Caledonia descending into civil war.
Protests erupted in New Caledonia in May 2024 after Paris adopted a new law allowing French citizens who have lived in the archipelago for 10 years to vote in local elections. This move angered indigenous inhabitants, as advocates for territorial independence fear it would make the indigenous Kanak people a minority, reigniting a historical debate over whether the archipelago should remain part of France, have autonomy, or achieve independence. France sent a thousand security personnel to the territory to regain full control over the vital 60-kilometer-long main road between Noumea and the airport, crucial for Paris. It was reported that due to violence and riots, nearly 3,000 people, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, were stranded in hotels due to shortages caused by disruptions and the closure of the international airport in the archipelago.
Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia by 1,500 kilometers, and bordered to the north by New Zealand, the archipelago is divided into 3 provinces: South, North, and Loyalty Islands, comprising 33 municipalities and 341 tribes. The archipelago covers an area of 18,576 square kilometers, making it one of the largest territories in the South Pacific and the second-largest French overseas territory after French Guiana. New Caledonia is renowned for its picturesque natural landscapes, boasting 167 listed sites, including many coral reefs and marine ecosystems designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in July 2008. According to the United Nations, the population of New Caledonia was 268,757 in 2014. French is the official language on the island, with up to 28 local languages spoken, collectively known as Kanak languages (constituting about 40%), which are a branch of the Austronesian languages, along with Wallisian, Indonesian, Tahitian, Javanese, and others. Optional language studies begin in kindergarten.
France’s colonization and the influx of Europeans resulted in the establishment of a modern colony with a weak economy. France brought in a large workforce from Indonesia in the late 19th century to work in fields and mines, forming a significant Muslim Indonesian community, which became the Muslim community in the region. In the 1970s, with the beginning of the nickel industry boom, inhabitants of Pacific islands, known as Polynesians, began migrating to the archipelago to escape economic hardships in their homelands. They are a mix of inhabitants of Wallis and Futuna, which are overseas territories of France. In the second half of the 20th century, New Caledonia began receiving a new wave of migration from France known as “Zoreilles,” referring to French-born individuals of European descent. Additionally, the island welcomed groups from Vanuatu, Vietnam, Japan, and the Antilles. The territory was listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory in 1946 after France submitted its papers, and in 1986, the General Assembly re-listed New Caledonia because it saw it as a “territory not enjoying self-government within the meaning of the Charter.” Increasing migrations and the discovery of nickel between 1968 and 1971 led the country into a heated conflict between Parisian independence movements and the Kanak people, especially with the influx of diverse ethnicities and their differences, amidst the economic and political changes that swept through the region, leading to outbreaks of violence that claimed 80 lives.
In 1988, pro-French independence forces succeeded in signing the Matignon-Oudinot Accords, leading to the recognition of the Kanak people and the division of the country into three provinces, stabilizing the situation relatively. Ten years later, the agreements were extended with the signing of the Nouméa Accord, preparing the territory for self-government and establishing a collective government. The agreements distributed powers and granted the provinces general authority, to be managed by directly elected councils. Only the Kanak people and inhabitants who were in the country before 1998 were allowed to participate in elections. Three referendums were held on the desire for independence from France, all resulting in rejection. However, in 2018, a referendum was held regarding New Caledonia’s desire for independence and full sovereignty.
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