The day after the death of a seventh person in the riots which continue to shake the South Pacific archipelago, tension remains high. While the mission of “ restore order in the days to come » set by Emmanuel Macron is proving difficult, the evacuation of French tourists has begun. Opponents of the electoral reform which caused the unrest from May 13 remain determined to obtain its definitive withdrawal.
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Everyone in the archipelago was waiting for the separatists to speak out, it is now done, reports our correspondent on site, Charlotte Mannevy. During the night from Friday to Saturday, it was first Christian Tein who spoke in a video broadcast on social networks. The leader of the Field Action Coordination Unit (CCAT), who met the French president on Thursday during a visit to Nouméa, called on his activists to “ loosen the vice “. He urges them to ease the current blockages, in particular to allow the supply of medicines and fuel. The mobilization against the constitutional reform of the electoral body which ignited the powder must continue, he insisted.
A little later, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), which brings together almost all of the independence movements, confirmed the instructions: the mobilization must continue and the constitutional reform must simply be withdrawn.
The text in question provides for the expansion of the electoral body for provincial elections in New Caledonia, currently reserved for natives and residents who arrived before 1998 as well as their descendants. The separatists fear that this reform will reduce their weight and want its permanent withdrawal. The indigenous Kanak people represent more than 41% of the local population.
On Thursday, the French president Emmanuel Macron has done a quick visit to New Caledoniawhere he pledged that the reform “ do not force yourself “.
The FLNKS indicates that it is not closing the door to discussion, but believes that the mediation mission, announced by the French president and composed of three senior officials, must be supplemented by “ high-level personalities “.
Read alsoNew Caledonia: “The withdrawal of the reform is the first political gesture to accomplish”, believes Christiane Taubira
Houses burned in the night
While waiting for a return to calm, new operations by the police took place during the night from Friday to Saturday in several sensitive neighborhoods, still in the hands of rioters. The High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia reported in a press release on Saturday operations against the dams in seven districts of Nouméa, mainly in the north of the city. “ The neutralization and cleaning of the roadblocks are carried out under the security of the police and gendarmerie forces. “, he described.
In the northern districts of Nouméa, around thirty people, who were fleeing their burned homes, had to be evacuated by sea, the roads being blocked there too. The authorities reported “ 35 people, including seven minors », saved by the nautical brigade in the middle of the night.
On Friday, Nouméa prosecutor Yves Dupas announced that a 48-year-old man had been killed by a police officer, bringing to seven the number of people killed since the start of the unrest – after two gendarmes, including one in an accidental shooting, three Kanaks and a Caldoche [Calédonien d’origine européenne, ndlr].
Read alsoNew Caledonia: “We must stop the machine of destruction, suffering and death”
The policeman, ” on which traces of blows were noted », was placed in police custody and the prosecution opened an investigation into intentional homicide by a person holding public authority.
The state of emergency, established on May 16, continues to prevail on the archipelago: night curfew, ban on gatherings, transport of weapons and sale of alcohol, ban on the TikTok application.
Emmanuel Macron wishes to be able to lift this state of emergency thanks to a “ appeasement » which would come from negotiations on the institutional future of New Caledonia. He gave elected officials and political leaders of the archipelago until the end of June, helped by a mediation mission of three senior officials dispatched from Paris. The president’s goal is ” a global agreement ” Who ” can be submitted to the vote of the Caledonians “.
The evacuation of the first French tourists has begun
For the French people of France stuck in New Caledonia due to the riots, the first flights aboard military aircraft took off on Saturday from the Magenta aerodrome in Nouméa, towards theAustralia and the New Zealand.
Suitcases in hand and guided by the soldiers who have been securing the Magenta airfield in Nouméa for ten days – usually reserved for local services, Audrey is one of the very first French tourists to be able to leave the territory. “ I received an SMS the day before departure asking me to be ready to board this Saturday “, she explains, expressing her joy and relief.
Like Audrey, most of the passengers had come to spend vacations with family or friends. Pascaline accompanies her best friend to the airport and says to herself “ very happy » to see her return home, after three and a half weeks spent in New Caledonia.
The passengers boarded C130s from the Australian and New Zealand armed forces, as this repatriation is the result of regional cooperation.
Solange was unable to leave and says she does not understand why the France does not organize an airlift for its nationals. “ How is it that Australians and New Zealanders can leave the territory, that the President of the Republic can land on the territory and leave without problem, and that we cannot? », she asks.
It is impossible to say how many people are waiting to leave the territory. More than 500 people have already been evacuated, mainly by the Australian and New Zealand governments. Commercial flights are still suspended and Nouméa international airport will reopen its doors on Wednesday May 28 at the earliest, due to insecurity on the road.