In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron made the determination on Monday to terminate the state of emergency in the French Pacific region of New Caledonia. This action is intended to facilitate political discussions subsequent to the unrest that resulted in seven fatalities and extensive damage, as stated by his office.
As conveyed in an official statement from the president’s office, the state of emergency will not be prolonged “at this juncture,” thus concluding on Monday at 8 p.m. Paris time, which corresponds to 5 a.m. Tuesday in New Caledonia.
The objective of this decision is to “facilitate engagements among the various factions” of the pro-independence FLNKS movement (Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste) and enable elected representatives and other local figures “in a position to advocate” for the dismantling of barricades to visit and confer with demonstrators, according to the statement.
Macron has persistently advocated for the dismantling of barricades by engaging with leaders representing both sides of New Caledonia’s entrenched divide – the Indigenous Kanaks, who advocate for independence, and the pro-Paris factions, who do not.
In the statement, he emphasized that this is “a prerequisite for the initiation of substantive and earnest negotiations.”
Macron’s decision follows his visit to New Caledonia on Thursday.
As per the statement, an additional 480 gendarmes are slated to arrive on the archipelago “in the imminent hours,” bolstering security forces to over 3,500 personnel. Among the seven individuals who lost their lives in shootings are two gendarmes.
The state of emergency was imposed by Paris on May 15 for a minimum duration of 12 days to augment law enforcement capabilities. These emergency measures furnish authorities with expanded powers to address violence, including the authority to confine individuals deemed to pose a threat to public order to their residences and heightened authority to conduct searches, confiscate weapons, and restrict movements, with potential incarceration for offenders.
The unrest earlier this month coincided with deliberations in the French parliament in Paris regarding amendments to the French constitution aimed at modifying electoral registries in New Caledonia.
The leader of a pro-independence party in New Caledonia urged supporters on Saturday to “remain mobilized” throughout the French Pacific archipelago and “sustain resistance” against the Paris administration’s endeavors to impose electoral reforms that the Indigenous Kanak populace apprehend would exacerbate their marginalization.
Christian Tein, leader of the pro-independence party referred to as The Field Action Coordination Unit, conveyed his message to supporters and demonstrators through a video posted on social media.
In a separate declaration, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front called upon Macron to retract the electoral reform legislation if France aims to “resolve the crisis.”
New Caledonia was incorporated into France in 1853 during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, the nephew and heir of Napoleon. Subsequently, following World War II, it attained the status of an overseas territory, with French citizenship extended to all Kanaks in 1957.