2024 New Caledonia unrest: Difference between revisions

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referendum was boycotted by pro-independence parties, not by all "indigenous population"; "settler" is an incorrect term here (as it includes recent migrants); changed wording around TikTok ban since "recent" will quickly be outdated
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In May 2024, protests and riots broke out in [[New Caledonia]], a [[Sui generis collectivity|''sui generis'' collectivity]] of [[overseas France]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=About New Caledonia |url=https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/australia-and-pacific/new-caledonia/new-zealand-consulate-general-noumea-new-caledonia/about-new-caledonia |access-date=14 May 2024 |website=[[New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] |language=en-NZ |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514231503/https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/australia-and-pacific/new-caledonia/new-zealand-consulate-general-noumea-new-caledonia/about-new-caledonia |url-status=live }}</ref> The violent protests have led to a recent banning of [[TikTok]], six deaths, and the declaration of a [[States of emergency in France|state of emergency]].<ref name="LM"/><ref name="SCMP"/><ref name="SBS"/>
In May 2024, protests and riots broke out in [[New Caledonia]], a [[Sui generis collectivity|''sui generis'' collectivity]] of [[overseas France]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=About New Caledonia |url=https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/australia-and-pacific/new-caledonia/new-zealand-consulate-general-noumea-new-caledonia/about-new-caledonia |access-date=14 May 2024 |website=[[New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] |language=en-NZ |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514231503/https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/australia-and-pacific/new-caledonia/new-zealand-consulate-general-noumea-new-caledonia/about-new-caledonia |url-status=live }}</ref> The violent protests have led to the banning of [[TikTok]], six deaths, and the declaration of a [[States of emergency in France|state of emergency]].<ref name="LM"/><ref name="SCMP"/><ref name="SBS"/>


Violence broke out following a controversial voting reform aiming to change existing restrictions which prevent up to one-fifth of the population from voting in provincial elections.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-15 |title=New Caledonia: Two dead as riots escalate after French vote |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d4dlxd10xo |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519133755/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d4dlxd10xo |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the [[Nouméa Accord]], the electorate for local elections was restricted to pre-1998 residents of the islands and their descendants who have maintained continuous residence on the territory for at least 10 years. The system, which excludes French European [[settler colonialism|settlers]] and migrants from Polynesian parts of France, including their adult children, had been judged acceptable in 2005 as part of a [[decolonization]] process by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] given that it was a provisional measure.<ref name="Py v. France">{{cite web|url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-67928%22%5D%7D|title=Py c. France - 66289/01|date=6 June 2005|website=European Court of Human Rights|access-date=19 May 2024|archive-date=7 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107024019/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-67928%22%5D%7D|url-status=live}}</ref>
Violence broke out following a controversial voting reform aiming to change existing restrictions which prevent up to one-fifth of the population from voting in provincial elections.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-15 |title=New Caledonia: Two dead as riots escalate after French vote |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d4dlxd10xo |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519133755/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d4dlxd10xo |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the [[Nouméa Accord]], the electorate for local elections was restricted to pre-1998 residents of the islands and their descendants who have maintained continuous residence on the territory for at least 10 years. The system, which excludes migrants from European and Polynesian parts of France, including their adult children, had been judged acceptable in 2005 as part of a [[decolonization]] process by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] given that it was a provisional measure.<ref name="Py v. France">{{cite web|url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-67928%22%5D%7D|title=Py c. France - 66289/01|date=6 June 2005|website=European Court of Human Rights|access-date=19 May 2024|archive-date=7 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107024019/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-67928%22%5D%7D|url-status=live}}</ref>
Following the votes against independence in the [[2018 New Caledonian independence referendum|2018]], [[2020 New Caledonian independence referendum|2020]] and [[2021 New Caledonian independence referendum|2021]] referendums, the system was considered obsolete as the process of the Nouméa Accord had ended. Change to a rolling 10-year residency requirement was rejected by independence advocates who consider the 2021 referendum illegitimate due to a boycott by the indigenous population, and as a result consider the process defined by the Nouméa Accord to be still ongoing.
Following the votes against independence in the [[2018 New Caledonian independence referendum|2018]], [[2020 New Caledonian independence referendum|2020]] and [[2021 New Caledonian independence referendum|2021]] referendums, the system was considered obsolete as the process of the Nouméa Accord had ended. Change to a rolling 10-year residency requirement was rejected by independence advocates who consider the 2021 referendum illegitimate due to their boycott, and as a result consider the process defined by the Nouméa Accord to be still ongoing.


The French government wants to allow people who have resided in the territory for over 10 years to vote in local elections.<ref name=NC1/> The reform allowing more people of European and Polynesian descent to vote has been decried as a dilution of the indigenous Melanesian [[Kanak people]]'s political voice.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 May 2024 |title=New Caledonia announces curfew after riots over voting reforms |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/14/new-caledonia-announces-curfew-after-riots-over-voting-reforms_6671384_7.html |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=en |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514231457/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/14/new-caledonia-announces-curfew-after-riots-over-voting-reforms_6671384_7.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The French government wants to allow people who have resided in the territory for over 10 years to vote in local elections.<ref name=NC1/> The reform allowing more people of European and Polynesian descent to vote has been decried as a dilution of the indigenous Melanesian [[Kanak people]]'s political voice.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 May 2024 |title=New Caledonia announces curfew after riots over voting reforms |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/14/new-caledonia-announces-curfew-after-riots-over-voting-reforms_6671384_7.html |access-date=14 May 2024 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=en |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514231457/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/14/new-caledonia-announces-curfew-after-riots-over-voting-reforms_6671384_7.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Revision as of 02:06, 21 May 2024

2024 New Caledonia anti-colonial unrest
Date13 May 2024 – present
(3 weeks)
Location
New Caledonia
Caused by
MethodsProtests, riots, arson, looting
StatusOngoing
Parties

Protesters

Supported by:

Number
~9,000 New Caledonian protesters & rioters
1,700 military police & personnel[7]
Casualties
Death(s)6
Injuries300+
Arrested200+

In May 2024, protests and riots broke out in New Caledonia, a sui generis collectivity of overseas France in the Pacific Ocean.[8] The violent protests have led to the banning of TikTok, six deaths, and the declaration of a state of emergency.[9][10][11]

Violence broke out following a controversial voting reform aiming to change existing restrictions which prevent up to one-fifth of the population from voting in provincial elections.[12] Following the Nouméa Accord, the electorate for local elections was restricted to pre-1998 residents of the islands and their descendants who have maintained continuous residence on the territory for at least 10 years. The system, which excludes migrants from European and Polynesian parts of France, including their adult children, had been judged acceptable in 2005 as part of a decolonization process by the European Court of Human Rights given that it was a provisional measure.[13] Following the votes against independence in the 2018, 2020 and 2021 referendums, the system was considered obsolete as the process of the Nouméa Accord had ended. Change to a rolling 10-year residency requirement was rejected by independence advocates who consider the 2021 referendum illegitimate due to their boycott, and as a result consider the process defined by the Nouméa Accord to be still ongoing.

The French government wants to allow people who have resided in the territory for over 10 years to vote in local elections.[14] The reform allowing more people of European and Polynesian descent to vote has been decried as a dilution of the indigenous Melanesian Kanak people's political voice.[15]

Context

Location of New Caledonia in Oceania

New Caledonia is a French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific. It has a population of about 270,000; with the indigenous Kanak people constituting 44% of the population, the predominantly French Caldoche constituting 34%, and other ethnic minorities (including Wallisians and Tahitians) constituting the remainder. New Caledonia became a French overseas territory in 1946 and has representatives in both houses of the French Parliament, while the President of France serves as the territory's head of state. France maintains jurisdiction over New Caledonia's defence and internal security.[16]

In 1988, following widespread political violence between caldoches and indigenous Kanaks,[17] the Matignon Agreements were signed,[18] establishing a transition to its current large autonomy as a sui generis collectivity within the French state. This was followed in 1998 by the Nouméa Accord. As part of the Accord, New Caledonia was allowed to hold three referendums to decide on the future status of the territory, with voting rights restricted to indigenous Kanak and other inhabitants living in New Caledonia before 1998.[16]

"Frozen" electorate

As part of the Nouméa Accord of 1998, the population of New Caledonia continued to vote in national elections—for the French president and National Assembly—but the number of people who can vote in provincial elections and independence referendums was restricted. This so-called "frozen electorate" consists only of those who were already living in New Caledonia in 1998 as well as their children, provided they maintained uninterrupted residence for ten years prior to each election. This deprived later immigrants, whether European or Polynesian, of voting rights. The number of excluded voters increased from 8,000 in 1999 to 18,000 in 2009 and to 42,000 in 2023, by which time almost one national voter out of five was excluded from participating in provincial elections (of 220,000 national voters only 178,000 were eligible).[14][19]

Following a ruling by the French Constitutional Council in 1999 which limited the restriction to a ten-year residency requirement—a so-called "rolling electorate"—French president Jacques Chirac promised to have the French constitution amended on the request of independence groups in 2003. His parliamentary majority voted for the revision in 2007, thereby reverting to the "frozen electorate" rule,[14][20] which the European Court of Human Rights had ruled in 2005 was not a human rights violation on the grounds that it was part of a decolonization process, and on the condition that it was only a provisional measure.[13]

Situation after independence referendums

New Caledonia then had three consecutive independence referendums (in 2018, 2020 and 2021), all of which voted to remain a part of France, although the 2021 referendum was boycotted by most supporters of independence. The system was considered obsolete as the process of the Nouméa Accord had ended.[21] The post-referendum transition left a need for revision of the transitional rules of the Nouméa Accord, which also required changes to the French constitution.[14][19][16] Before the referendum the pro-independence candidate Louis Mapou was elected President of the Government of New Caledonia.[22]

Advocates for independence boycotted the third referendum and then refused to recognize its result, leading to institutional deadlock. Local talks ground to a halt and the next provincial election was rescheduled for 15 December 2024. On 26 December 2023, the Conseil d'État concluded that the current rules did not ensure universal suffrage, as they denied the vote to people either born or residing in New Caledonia for several decades.[14][19][16]

At the beginning of 2024, the French government began a revision of the constitution which would "unfreeze" the electorate by keeping only a rolling ten-year residency requirement. Up to 25,841 people of the 42,000 excluded from the electorate would gain voting rights : 12,441 who were born and grew up in New Caledonia would gain the right automatically and up to 13,400 with ten years of continuous residence on the island could request it.[23][24] A total of 16,000 citizens would remain excluded from participating in the provincial election.[24] It included a clause that would prevent it from being implemented if a local deal between pro- and anti-independence groups was made at least ten days before the election.[19][25][26]

A bipartisan group sent by the National Assembly to consult political, religious and tribal leaders concluded that "unfreezing" the electorate was a "legal and democratic necessity". It advised against doing so immediately due to the chaotic political situation. In its report released mid-March, it noted in particular the pessimistic mood prevalent on the island because of the chaotic political situation and permanent uncertainty about its future, which had led to the emigration of New Caledonians, often those excluded from the electorate, but also of educated Kanaks. This demographic trend mentioned in the report contrasts with the pro-independence claims of an ongoing demographic replacement via "massive immigration". The report caused controversy by relaying the opinion of several independence advocates, including Roch Wamytan, president of the Congress of New Caledonia, who asked whether Emmanuel Macron was considering "recolonizing" New Caledonia and who further said that the "threshold of tolerance for whites" had been reached. Members of the pro-independence Caledonian Union also said that "If you make a change of the electorate, it will be war. Our youth is ready to go for it. If we have to sacrifice a thousand, we will do so".[27][28]

On 2 April 2024, the French Senate, the French Parliament's upper house, voted to endorse constitutional amendments tabled by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to extend suffrage to those who had been residing in New Caledonia for an uninterrupted 10 years.[16] On 15 April, groups of supporters and opponents staged competing marches in Nouméa in response to the proposed French constitutional amendment. The pro-independence march was organized by a field action coordination committee close to Union Calédonienne (UC), which is part of the FLNKS umbrella. The pro-French march was organized by the two pro-French parties Le Rassemblement and Les Loyalistes. The French High Commission estimated that a total of 40,000 people (15% of the population) attended the marches. Pro-independence organisers claimed 58,000 attended their rally and pro-French organizers claimed 35,000 attended theirs.[29]

On 15 May, the National Assembly, the French Parliament's lower house, voted in favor of the constitutional amendments by a margin of 351 to 153 votes. While right-wing parties supported "unfreezing" the list of voters, left-wing parties voted against the amendments. After passing both houses, the constitutional amendments still need to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Congress of the French Parliament (a joint session of both the National Assembly and Senate).[16]

Response to the bill

Local leaders said that giving "foreigners" the right to vote would dilute the vote of indigenous Kanak people and increase the vote share for pro-France politicians.[30][31]

Socio-economic factors

The economy and unemployment were reportedly factors in the unrest due to the local nickel mining economy having experienced a downturn.[32][33] According to Politico, New Caledonia has 30% of the world's nickel reserves. By 2023, the nickel sector's profitability had declined due to governmental export restrictions, high energy costs and competition from Indonesian and other Asian nickel producers. With production down 32% in the first quarter of 2023, French authorities warned that the territory's three main nickel processing factories could shut down, leading to an unemployment crisis. Several major investors including Glencore and Euramet either curtailed new investments in New Caledonia[34] or sought to sell off their holdings.[35] The French government promised €200 million in subsidies for the nickel sector, but this "nickel pact" was denounced by independence supporters as a neocolonial measure that would increase Paris' power over the territory.[34]

Unrest

Supermarkets and car dealerships were looted and vehicles and businesses were burned.[36][37] Areas affected include Nouméa and the neighbouring towns of Dumbéa and Le Mont-Dore.[38] Authorities imposed a curfew and public gatherings were banned for two days.[39][40] The French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced that police reinforcements were being sent to the island.[41] Thirty-six protesters were arrested.[42]

Clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of independence.[43] Three Kanak protestors were killed during a drive-by shooting committed by someone whose car was stopped at a barricade, while a gendarme was killed in an ambush.[44][45]

According to Australian peace and conflict studies professor Nicole George and University of Pau and the Adour Region sociologist Évelyne Barthou, Kanaky youth played a major role in leading the protests and violence. George said that the protests were rooted in "the highly visible wealth disparities" in the territory which “fuel resentment and the profound racial inequalities that deprive Kanak youths of opportunity and contribute to their alienation." Similarly Barthou said that many Kanaky young people resented having to compete for limited opportunities with migrants from mainland France. Retired Auckland University of Technology professor of journalism David Robie has likened the youth-led protests to the concurrent Generation Z–led pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in the United States and Europe as well as Palestinian youth journalists during the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.[33]

Casualties

Between 13 and 18 May, six people were killed, including two gendarmes. Another 64 police officers were injured.[9][46] Five independence activists accused of violence were placed under house arrest.[47][48] On 15 May, a gendarme was seriously injured in Plum and died later in the same day. On 16 May, the death of another French gendarme in New Caledonia from accidental gunshot wounds was announced by Gérald Darmanin in a message to Agence France-Presse.[49] On 18 May, a Caldoche man was shot dead in a gunfight in Kaala-Gomen, after being denied passage with his son at a roadblock monitored by Kanak protesters. Two Kanak protesters were injured.[50]

Impact

The looting and destruction cost more than 200 million euros in damage. More than 150 firms were destroyed and about 1,750 jobs were lost.[51][52] La Tontouta International Airport was closed for commercial flights.[47] According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, 80 to 90% of the grocery distribution network has been taken out.[47][33] On May 14 the Nouméa bus network was suspended until further notice.[53]

On May 17 it was announced that the Olympic Torch Relay for the 2024 Paris Olympics would not pass through New Caledonia on 11 June as had originally been planned.[54]

Alleged interference

On 16 May, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin accused Azerbaijan of interfering in the unrest on France 2, saying that the involvement of Azerbaijan was "not fantasy", referring to a previous claim the country was stirring troubles in New Caledonia in retaliation for French military aid to Armenia. He then accused independence advocates of having made a deal with Baku.[55] Azerbaijan denied Darmanin's accusations.[56] In July 2023, Azerbaijan had invited separatists from the French overseas territories of Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia and French Polynesia for a conference in Baku, which saw the creation of a "Baku Initiative Group" whose stated aim is to support "French liberation and anti-colonial movements."[57]

The same day, a report by French radio station Europe 1 also accused Turkey of interfering in a "circumstantial alliance of secret services to designate a common enemy" or steered by Russia and China to "open peripheral fronts, such as in New Caledonia, or to weaken the French state."[58] An unnamed Turkish source was reportedly "amused by the unsubstantiated allegations" but did not expect Turkey to "formally repudiate" the claims.[59]

Responses

New Caledonia

In response to the unrest, pro-independence President of the Government of New Caledonia Louis Mapou called for a "return to reason". Meanwhile, the FLNKS called for "calm, peace, stability and reason", the lifting of blockades and the withdrawal of the controversial French constitutional amendments.[16][60] He also appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron to prioritise a comprehensive agreement between "all political leaders of New Caledonia, to pave the way for the archipelago's long-term political future".[60]

A group affiliated with the National Union for Independence (UNI) also stated they were "moved by and deplored the exactions and violence taking place". North Province provincial assembly UNI member Patricia Goa said it was "necessary to preserve all that we have built together for over thirty years and that the priority was to preserve peace, social cohesion".[60]

Jacques Lalié [fr], the anti-independence President of the Loyalty Islands Province, said absolute priority must be given to dialogue and the search for intelligence to reach a consensus. Louis Le Franc [fr], the French High Commissioner to New Caledonia, told the media he would use military force "if necessary" and that reinforcements from metropolitan France would arrive on 16 May.[16]

Metropolitan France

On 16 May, Emmanuel Macron indicated that he would delay convening the upcoming Congress of the French Parliament until at least June 2024 "to give a chance for dialogue and consensus". He also extended an invitation to New Caledonian political leaders to attend a meeting in Paris to cover various including the constitutional amendments around franchise extension and the current economic crisis in the nickel industry sector. The Paris meeting is scheduled to take place in late May 2024 under the supervision of French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.[16]

On 15 May, Attal deployed the army to protect ports and airports, and issued a ban on TikTok in response,[61] which French authorities said had previously been used to organize riots.[10][62] On 16 May, Macron declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia.[10][11] By 17 May, the number of French police and gendarmes in New Caledonia had risen from 1,700 to 2,700. French forces were also deployed to supply food and medicine to the public while teams of mine clearing specialists were deployed to remove barricades that may have been booby trapped by activists.[57]

On 19 May, RNZ reported that Attal was chairing daily meetings of an "inter-ministerial crisis cell" which included also involving Interior Minister Darmanin, Minister of the Overseas Marie Guévenoux, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti. In addition, Attal also chaired a parliamentary "liaison committee" on New Caledonia on 17 May, which was attended by New Caledonian parliamentary representatives and parliamentary groups specialising on the Pacific territory. RNZ also reported that the French government had plans to send a "dialogue mission" to New Caledonia to restore dialogue and trust between Paris and the New Caledonians. On 19 May, French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc announced that 600 security personnel were being deployed in an operation regain control of the highway area between Noumea and its international airport including removing roadblocks and debris.[63]

International

Governments

  •  Australia: On 16 May, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for calm, upgraded Australia's travel advice for New Caledonia and urged Australian travellers in the territory to "exercise a high degree of caution." Similar sentiments were echoed by Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham.[11] On 18 May, Wong confirmed that Australia was working with French, New Caledonian and New Zealand authorities to evacuate Australians stranded in the territory. An estimated 3,200 tourists and other travellers including Australians remain stranded in New Caledonia.[64]
  •  New Zealand: On 14 May, Foreign Minister Winston Peters cancelled plans to visit New Caledonia in response to the unrest. National carrier Air New Zealand also stated it was monitoring the situation in the territory ahead of its next flight to Nouméa at 08:25 on 18 May.[65] Following the closure of La Tontouta International Airport, the airline cancelled its flights to Nouméa scheduled for 18 and 20 May.[66] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that 219 New Zealanders were registered with Safe Travel in New Caledonia. Peters confirmed that the Government was exploring ways of evacuating New Zealanders including deploying the Royal New Zealand Air Force. While the New Zealand Consulate General remained open, staff were working remotely due to safety concerns.[67]
    •  Cook Islands: On 15 May, Prime Minister and outgoing Pacific Islands Forum chair Mark Brown described the unrest as a "cause to recognise greater autonomy and greater independence from the people on those islands." He also stated that the Cook Islands would provide support assistance to Forum members New Caledonia and French Polynesia to avoid any escalation of conflict.[68]
  •  Solomon Islands: Colin Beck, the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said that using military force was not a method to resolve issues, and it could prevent indigenous Kanak people from expressing their rights.[69]
  •  Vanuatu: On 17 May, Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, the concurrent Chair of the intergovernmental organization Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), reaffirmed the MSG's support for the FLNKS's opposition to France's constitutional bill "unfreezing" New Caledonia's electoral roll. It also opposed proposed changes to the citizens' electorate and the distribution of seats in New Caledonia's Congress. Salwai endorsed the FLNKS's call for calm and condemnation of violence. He also warned that the indiscriminate destruction of property would adversely affect New Caledonia's economy and the "welfare and lives of all New Caledonians, including the Kanaks." Salwai also called for France to accept an FLNKS proposal to establish a "dialogue and mediation mission" to discuss how peace and normalcy could be restored to the territory.[4]

Non-state organisations

  • Amnesty International's Pacific Researcher Kate Schuetze issued a statement on 17 May calling on French authorities to uphold the rights of the Kanak people to freedom of expression and assembly amidst the unrest. Amnesty International also urged the French Government not to use the state of emergency, military deployment and the TikTok ban to restrict peoples' rights.[70]
  • The Catholic Archbishop of Nouméa Michel-Marie Calvet said during the Day of Pentecost Sunday mass that the community had "betrayed our faith, our baptism and Jesus through its divisions." He also called on the public and leaders to denounce violence and to work together for a "shared peaceful future, of lost and found fraternity."[63]
  • The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) expressed "deep solidarity" with the Kanak people, and called for the United Nations to send an "impartial and competent" dialogue mission to monitor the situation in New Caledonia.[62][57]
  • The alliance of Pacific Regional Non-Government Organisations (PRNGOs) condemned France for its "betrayal of the Kanaky people" and "agenda of prolongling colonial control over the territory".[71] PRNGOs also called for the United Nations and Pacific Islands Forum leaders to send a neutral mission to facilitate dialogue over the Nouméa Accords of 1998 and political process.[72]
  • Several Pacific NGOs including the Australia West Papua Association, the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), Kia Mua and Oceanian Independence Movement (OIM) issued statements supporting the Kanak people and FLNKS, and condemning French colonialism and alleged racism.[72]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Émeutes en Nouvelle-Calédonie : les inégalités entre les Kanaks et le reste de la population persistent" [Riots in New Caledonia: inequalities between Kanaks and the rest of the population persist]. franceinfo. 17 May 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Australians barricaded in New Caledonia accommodation as violence spreads, French government hopeful riots are calming". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ Soylu, Ragip (17 May 2024). "French report blames Turkey for interference in New Caledonia unrest". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Vanuatu, MSG chief reaffirms support for FLNKS, blames France over unrest". Asia Pacific Report. Auckland University of Technology. 17 May 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/politique/nouvelle-caledonie-pourquoi-l-azerbaidjan-la-russie-et-la-chine-sont-pointes-du-doigt_AV-202405170261.html
  6. ^ https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/politique/nouvelle-caledonie-pourquoi-l-azerbaidjan-la-russie-et-la-chine-sont-pointes-du-doigt_AV-202405170261.html
  7. ^ "REPLAY. Violences en Nouvelle-Calédonie : le bilan humain est passé cinq morts, Gabriel Attal annonce un millier de forces de sécurité supplémentaires en cours de déploiement". Nouvelle-Calédonie la 1ère (in French). 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ^ "About New Caledonia". New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b "En direct, émeutes en Nouvelle-Calédonie : Gérald Darmanin annonce l'arrivée de renforts" [Live, riots in New Caledonia: Gérald Darmanin announces the arrival of reinforcements]. Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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