Several areas of New Caledonia, a territory belonging to France, went out of control of the local authorities, which led to the dispatch of military forces from Paris to the island. This was announced by the High Commissioner of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, Louis Le Fran.
"We are accepting additional forces ... to ensure control over areas that have lost our control in recent days and where security is no longer guaranteed," Le Fran said. The number of police officers on the island will increase from 1,700 to 2,700 by the evening of May 17.
Protests in New Caledonia began on May 13 over a proposal by French MPs to amend the constitution to extend the right to vote in local elections to anyone who has lived in New Caledonia for more than a decade. Opponents of the change believe it could further exclude the indigenous population - the Kanak, who make up about 40% of New Caledonia's population - and lead to support for pro-French political forces.
Protests in New Caledonia turned into violent riots and clashes between independence supporters and loyalists. Shops, warehouses, gas stations and company offices were razed and burned. Five people died - three Kanaks and two policemen.
The police detained about 200 people. Authorities imposed a state of emergency and blocked TikTok in New Caledonia until May 27.
The French authorities call the protesters "rebels" who "covertly advocate independence, but engage in looting, murder and violence."
The Field Action Coordination Group, which organized the protest against the constitutional reform, blamed the violence on the French government, holding it responsible for "human casualties, atrocities and economic losses."
The National Council of Chiefs of the Kanak Indigenous Peoples also rejected the independence movement's involvement in the violence, condemning "all acts of vandalism and gun violence."
The French government blames Azerbaijan, whose flags were seen at the protests, for fueling the riots in New Caledonia. Azerbaijan rejects accusations of supporting the protests and independence movement.
Cooperation between France and Azerbaijan deteriorated after the 2020 war and the return of Nagorno-Karabakh to Baku's control in September 2023. In July 2023, Azerbaijan invited supporters of the independence of several French overseas territories to a conference in Baku. According to the results of the meeting, the Baku initiative group against "French colonialism" was created. The group publicly supported "Kanak friends and their just struggle".
New Caledonia became a French colony in 1853 and gained the status of an overseas territory of France in 1946. Under the 1998 agreement, New Caledonia was granted greater autonomy and the right to hold three referendums on independence. Referendums were held in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The opponents of independence won the first two with a small margin. The third referendum, in which 97% of participants supported the preservation of the current status of the territory, was boycotted by the Kanaks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
