State of Emergency in New Caledonia to End Following Deadly Riots

The state of emergency in New Caledonia will be lifted as planned on Tuesday morning local time, according to a statement from the Elysée released on Monday. Seven additional mobile force units are set to arrive as reinforcements in the French Pacific territory.

The emergency status will officially end on Monday evening at 8:00 p.m. in Paris (Tuesday 5:00 a.m. in Noumea).

Recent weeks have seen significant turmoil in New Caledonia, with seven people killed, hundreds arrested, and numerous buildings and cars destroyed. The unrest was sparked by a contested electoral reform and fueled by economic disparities between the indigenous Kanak population and those of European descent.

Tensions escalated last Friday when police shot and killed a man, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the territory in an attempt to defuse the situation.

The arrival of an additional 480 gendarmes will bring the total number of French security forces in New Caledonia to approximately 3,500. Macron’s decision not to extend the state of emergency signifies Paris’s intention to initiate de-escalation and create a conducive environment for dialogue, the statement added.

The main pro-independence political coalition, FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), emphasized in a communique on Saturday that easing tensions is a priority and that a “political and non-repressive solution” is the only viable path forward.

The lifting of the state of emergency aims to facilitate a meeting of the FLNKS, the French statement noted. Macron stressed that the removal of roadblocks is essential for starting serious and concrete negotiations.

Christian Tein of the Field Action Coordination Cell (CCAT), which has organized the roadblocks that have disrupted the movement of food and medicine across the island, stated on Friday that the group “remains mobilized” and will continue their resistance in a structured and organized manner.

No announcement has been made regarding the night curfew imposed by local authorities in New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, Noumea international airport will remain closed until June 2, according to its operator.