The French government declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia on Wednesday as the semi-autonomous French Pacific territory struggles to quell a deadly riot.
French authorities have launched a “massive” deployment of security forces after violent protests erupted in New Caledonia this week over proposed amendments to the French constitution that would change local voting rules in the region. France's parliament voted to approve the amendment on Tuesday, sparking overnight riots.
“The priority is to restore order, calm and tranquility,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told lawmakers on Wednesday.
The French government said more than 1,800 security personnel were already in the territory, with 500 reinforcements expected to arrive within the next 24 hours. Atal told a crisis meeting that he was deploying the military to secure ports and airports.
According to the French High Commission, public buildings, including some businesses and schools, have been subject to looting and arson. Three people were killed and hundreds injured, including 64 police officers and military police, in connection with the riots, officials said, according to the High Commission of the Republic of New Caledonia. statement. It was unclear whether the death toll included the number of mobile military police, who died on Wednesday, the statement said.
Nearly 200 people had been arrested by Thursday local time, and the Interior Ministry had issued five warrants for people suspected of sponsoring the riots, the statement said.
The state of emergency, which lasts for 12 days, gives authorities more police powers to enact traffic bans, place people under house arrest, ban protests and conduct raids without normal judicial oversight. It becomes possible.
President Emmanuel Macron convened a crisis meeting on Wednesday and expressed his “strong feelings” about the deaths of French security forces and against them, the presidential palace said in a statement.
“Any violence is unacceptable and will be met with a ruthless response” to ensure order is restored, the statement said, adding that Macron welcomed other officials' appeals for calm. Ta.
In a sign of how seriously authorities are treating the situation, Mr Macron postponed a visit scheduled for Thursday to commission a new nuclear reactor in Normandy.
In 1853, France annexed New Caledonia, a small archipelago with a population of about 270,000 people. New Caledonia was one of the few colonies, along with Algeria, that France deliberately moved white settlers to. Today, the indigenous Kanak people make up about 40 percent of the population, and Europeans make up about a quarter.
The prospect of independence and long-standing social inequalities have fueled decades of tension in the region. The region, which has a rare degree of autonomy in France, has held three independence referendums since 2018. All were rejected.
After an armed conflict broke out there in the 1980s, resulting in dozens of lives lost in an uprising known as the Event, the French government struck a deal with pro-independence extremists promising change.
A proposed constitutional amendment that would expand the eligibility of French citizens to vote in local elections has struck a new nerve. Pro-independence activists in New Caledonia expressed concern that this would reflect more aggressive attempts by the French government to water down their movement and assert its will over the territory. .
New Caledonia is a key hub for France in the Indo-Pacific region, and French officials have warned that independent New Caledonia, with its vast territorial waters and rich nickel, could quickly fall under Chinese influence. There is.
New Caledonia's voter rolls have been effectively frozen since 2007, with only those registered in 1998 considered eligible to vote in subsequent local elections. Adrian Mackle, a senior lecturer in history at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, said the amendment would give voting rights to all French citizens who have lived in the territory for 10 years, effectively reducing the number of voters to about The number of people will increase by 20,000 to 25,000. New Caledonia expert.
Tensions have escalated over the past few weeks, with protests turning violent on Monday night.
In a bid to defuse tensions, Mr Macron's government has promised not to enact any constitutional reforms – which would require a special parliament to be called for a vote – until the end of June. It is also inviting pro-independence and anti-independence groups to talks in a bid to reach local agreements.
The National Liberation Front (FLNKS), a major independence group, condemned the constitutional amendment vote in a statement on Wednesday, but appealed for calm.
It said the French government's offer to hold consultations was an “opportunity” to ensure “the demands of everyone, including those protesting, are heard and taken into account”.
The French High Commission in New Caledonia announced that the curfew imposed in the capital Nouméa on Tuesday and the ban on all public gatherings will remain in place. Nouméa's international airport has been closed since Tuesday, with all commercial flights canceled, and local authorities announced that schools will remain closed until further notice.