Australia and New Zealand announced plans to deploy government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate their nationals from the French territory, which has been engulfed by deadly riots for a week. The unrest was triggered by electoral changes imposed by the French government in Paris.
According to France’s High Commission in New Caledonia, the local airport remains closed to commercial flights, and the military will be deployed to protect public buildings. The local government reported that approximately 3,200 people were waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia due to the cancellation of commercial flights.
Over 1,000 gendarmes and police from France are currently stationed in New Caledonia, with an additional 600 personnel expected to arrive shortly. Roads in Noumea are being cleared of debris and burnt-out vehicles by bulldozers.
The week-long unrest has resulted in six fatalities, extensive damage to businesses and cars, looted shops, and road barricades that have restricted access to medicine and food. The local business chamber reported that 150 companies have been looted and set on fire.
New Zealand, French, and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening to coordinate the evacuation efforts. New Zealand and Australia had been awaiting clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft for the evacuation of tourists. France’s defense council has since approved arrangements to facilitate the return of tourists.
“New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days, and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government,” said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. He expressed gratitude for the support from authorities in Paris and NoumĂ©a and confirmed that additional flights would be dispatched in the coming days.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced via social media that clearance had been received for two “Australian government assisted-departure flights today for Australian and other tourists to depart New Caledonia.”
The protests erupted last week, driven by anger among the indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved in France. Local leaders fear the amendment will dilute the Kanak vote by changing eligibility requirements for electoral participation.
Viro Xulue, a member of a community group aiding other Kanaks during the crisis, compared the current situation to the civil war of the 1980s, expressing fear over the presence of French police and soldiers, as well as anti-Kanak militia groups.
Three of the six people killed in the unrest were young Kanaks shot by armed civilians. There have been confrontations between Kanak protesters and self-defense groups or civilian militias formed to protect themselves, according to the High Commission.
Pro-independence political parties are demanding the French government withdraw the electoral reform before they resume talks, while France maintains that re-establishing order is a prerequisite for dialogue.
