New Caledonia: Unrest Prompts French Emergency Declaration

Facts

• Protests became violent in the Pacific region of New Caledonia Monday after the French parliament granted French residents voting rights on the islands. Clashes in the capital Noumea have left three dead and hundreds wounded.¹
• The islands, between Australia and Fiji, are under French rule. A measure allowing French nationals who have been living in New Caledonia for at least ten years to vote in provincial elections set off the recent unrest.¹
• The decision in Paris has spurred the independence movement, which remains strong after three referendums that have rejected separating from France. The desire for independence is robust within the indigenous Kanak community.²
• On Tuesday, the High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia announced the deployment of security and defense personnel to quell the protesters. Noumea implemented a curfew on Tuesday night, prohibiting all public gatherings.³
• Local authorities have detained at least 130 individuals since the unrest began on Monday. France's Pres. Emmanuel Macron has invited representatives from the region for talks on the changes and has declared a state of emergency.⁴
• 40% of New Caledonia's 300K citizens are Kanaks. The 1998 Noumea Accord increased the island's autonomy while restricting voting in local elections to residents at that time; over 40K French nationals have moved to the island since.¹

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²France 24, ³New York Times and ⁴Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by SWI swissinfo.ch. Many native Kanaks view the French parliament's decision on Monday to extend voting rights to French nationals in New Caledonia as a violation of the 1998 Noumea Accord, which granted the island increased political autonomy. This does not justify violent riots, but it does demonstrate deep-rooted anger with Paris because the decision will make the Kanaks a minority on their own island.
• Narrative B, as provided by Le Monde.fr. The deadly violence taking place in New Caledonia is unacceptable and has to stop. Paris has given security forces the power to quell the violence and restore order. The unrest is clearly an unfortunate overreaction. At the moment, Paris' top concern is public safety. Once things have settled, Paris will actively encourage the independence movement to come to Paris for a resumption of dialogue and talks.

Predictions