What led to deadly riots that forced France to declare a state of emergency in New Caledonia?
(Baonghean.vn) - France has ordered the military to protect international ports and airports in the Pacific territory of New Caledonia as a state of emergency was declared on May 16, following two nights of riots that left four people dead and hundreds injured.
Lovethe most violent state in four decades
The chaos came after the French National Assembly backed controversial changes to the electoral roll that indigenous Kanak leaders say will dilute the influence of their votes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to hold talks on May 16 with New Caledonia lawmakers and approved the use of security forces and a nighttime curfew to end the worst violence in four decades.
Shops were looted and public buildings were set on fire in the overnight riots. Officials said four people, including a gendarme, were killed. Hundreds were injured, they added.
New Caledonia, located between Australia and Fiji, is one of the few territories in the world that remains a French territory in the post-colonial period. Colonized by France in the second half of the 19th century, it has a special status, unlike the country's other overseas territories.
Despite three rejections of independence in referendums, there remains strong support for independence among the Kanak people.
Mr. Macron called for a resumption of political dialogue. But government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said the French government had approved a state of emergency from the morning of May 16.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told a ministerial meeting on the crisis that troops had been deployed to protect international ports and airports and that authorities in New Caledonia had “banned TikTok,” which Attal said had been used by rioters.
New Caledonia's airport has suspended international flights. Mr Attal said the situation in New Caledonia was "grave" but the government's priority was to "restore calm" so a dialogue could be established.
During a state of emergency, authorities will be able to enforce travel bans, house arrests and searches, Thevenot added.
Five radical independence activists accused of organizing violence were immediately placed under house arrest, authorities said.
The French government office in Noumea said on May 16 that about 70 people had been detained in the past 24 hours. The head of the office, Louis Le Franc, said about 200 “rioters” had been detained throughout the week, describing the situation as “violent”.
Along with the night curfew, there is also a ban on gatherings, carrying weapons and selling alcohol.
Le Franc added that troops and security forces would be sent to New Caledonia and that so far 64 police and security forces had been injured in the disturbances.
Nearly 1,800 law enforcement officers have been mobilised and 500 more will be deployed, a government spokesman said.
President Macron has cancelled a planned trip to the French provinces to chair a new emergency meeting on May 16.
Arson and looting
In Noumea and Paita, there were reports of gunfire between vigilante groups and protesters.
The streets of New Caledonia’s capital were littered with charred car bodies and burned-out buildings. “There was extensive arson and looting of shops, infrastructure and public buildings – including primary and secondary schools,” the local government said.
Security forces said in a statement they had regained control of the Noumea prison, which holds about 50 inmates, after a revolt and an attempted escape by inmates.
As people took to the streets, the French National Assembly, 17,000km away, voted to allow people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote. The reform still needs to be approved by both houses of the French parliament.
Pro-independence forces say that would dilute the vote of the Kanak people, an indigenous group that makes up about 41% of New Caledonia's population.
But reform supporters say the voter rolls have not been updated since 1998 - leaving islanders who arrived later excluded from provincial elections.
French lawmakers will vote to definitively approve the constitutional change by the end of June unless New Caledonia's opposition parties agree on a new text "that takes into account the progress made and the aspirations of the people," Mr Macron said.
Pro- and anti-independence parties in New Caledonia have issued a joint statement calling for "calm and reason" to return to the archipelago, adding that "it is our destiny to continue living together".
