Tensions flare in New Caledonia as rioting claims another victim
Riots in the French Pacific region of New Caledonia continue, with six people killed in the last six days
Sonia Lagarde, the mayor of Noumea, said that rioting in the French Pacific region of New Caledonia is still ongoing and that a new victim was killed on Saturday. Six people have died in the last six days as a result of the uprising, and tensions over a contentious vote reform remain high.
Two more people were reportedly injured in the fatal event, which happened in the northern Kaala-Gomen region, according to General Nicolas Mattheos. A father and son were trying to breach a roadblock that rioters had created when they were killed, along with one injured person, according to an informed source.
Amidst the mounting violence, Noumea has seen the deployment of hundreds of highly armed French soldiers and police, leaving buildings smoldering from recent fires and streets littered with debris.
Vice-president of the southern province of the territory, Philippe Blaise, bemoaned the continued difficulties in reestablishing law and order, saying, “Today, the rule of law, security for citizens, are not back in place everywhere in (New) Caledonia.”
People who live there have had nightmares interrupted by gunshots, explosions, and the constant hum of military planes. According to resident Helene, 42, “at night we hear shooting, and things going off… which is sweet music to our ears.”
A mixture of economic hardships, social instability, and political strife between pro-independence activists and Paris authorities have been blamed for the upheaval, which has resulted in the deaths of two gendarmes and three Indigenous Kanaks
. A separatist organization called CCAT has come under fire from French authorities, and 10 of its members are currently being held under house arrest for allegedly planning the violence.
Leaders at the municipal and federal levels have called for calm, and CCAT has also called for an end to the violence, but things are still heated. Annie, an eighty-one-year-old Noumea resident, said the present volatility is worse than the 1980s turmoil, which was characterized by violence and political unrest.
Ethnic tensions are a major source of the present turmoil in New Caledonia, a French colony since the mid-1800s, as it struggles with its democratic destiny.
Pro-independence parties believe that plans for new voting procedures in Paris would weaken Indigenous representation, further exacerbating tensions.
The French government says everything is “calmer” and under control, but peace talks haven’t worked out so far. President Emmanuel Macron has started discussions with authorities who support and oppose independence, but a solution is still difficult.
People are lined up for basic necessities in the middle of the mayhem as violence envelops the area, making a noticeable impact on daily life. The financial cost is enormous; local business associations have recorded damages of almost 200 million euros.
Moreover, the shutdown of Noumea’s international airport has left thousands of travelers stranded and severely damaged the tourism-based economy of New Caledonia.
The issue has become much more complicated as a result of a “massive and coordinated” internet effort that has spread false allegations of police brutality, escalating hostilities and causing diplomatic problems with Azerbaijan. Amidst these obstacles, New Caledonia faces an uncertain future full of demands from the outside world as well as internal strife.
Source: AFP
