Next night of riots

New Caledonia in the “grip of unprecedented violence”

Around 5000 people are involved in the escalation of violence.(Bild: AFP/Delphine Mayeur)

Separatist riots have broken out in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia for the third night in a row. French President Emmanuel Macron called another emergency meeting on Thursday morning. The island is said to resemble a battlefield in places.

According to official figures, four people have died in the serious unrest so far, including a police officer. Hundreds of other people have been injured. Local media published photos and videos of looted and completely destroyed supermarkets and petrol stations on Thursday.

The French government had decided on Wednesday evening to deploy soldiers to secure bridges and the airport, which was closed for the time being. Access to the online service TikTok, which is used by many protesters, was temporarily blocked on the archipelago in the Pacific.

State of emergency imposed
Since the beginning of the week, pro-independence protesters have repeatedly set fire to stores and cars. In response to the violence in the archipelago in the South Pacific, Paris declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for an initial period of twelve days. Among other things, this allows the authorities to ban demonstrations, block public places and websites and grant the police and judiciary extended powers.

Background

• New Caledonia was a French colony from 1853 to 1946.
• The archipelago with 270,000 inhabitants, which lies 1500 kilometers east of Australia, had already gained extensive autonomy through the Nouméa Agreement in 1998.
• For Paris, the territory is primarily important geopolitically, militarily and because of its large nickel deposits.
• Paris is currently trying to conclude a new agreement with the political forces in Nouméa.

The protests by independence supporters are about a planned constitutional reform by the government in Paris, which would grant voting rights to thousands of French citizens who have lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years without interruption. This would give them more political influence. However, the Kanak population group in particular - New Caledonia's indigenous inhabitants - have long hoped for their own state.

Around 5000 people are involved in the escalation of violence.(Bild: AFP/Delphine Mayeur)

Rioters set fire to numerous vehicles.(Bild: AFP/Delphine Mayeur)

The Kanaks are hoping for their own state.(Bild: AFP/Theo Rouby)

Thousands of rioters devastate the island
The High Commission in New Caledonia announced that around 5000 rioters were involved in the unrest in the greater area of the capital Nouméa. Despite curfews, the situation was still not under control. The archipelago's largest hospital, Médipôle de Koutio, announced that it was currently treating mainly emergency cases. However, due to road blockades, many patients are having problems reaching the hospital at all.

Long queues of worried citizens formed in front of many stores because food was already being rationed, as the 1ère Nouvelle-Calédonie radio station reported. Petrol stations ran out of petrol.

"In the grip of unprecedented violence"
The president of the southern province Sonia Backes, a prominent activist in favor of remaining part of France, asked the government in Paris for financial support: "Our territory has been in the grip of unprecedented violence for 72 hours," she wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The initial damage to New Caledonia's economy is estimated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at 150 million euros.