Tension remains high on Saturday May 25 in New Caledonia, where the mission to “restore order” set by President Emmanuel Macron is proving difficult. The evacuation of French tourists stranded due to the riots has begun, with military escort. On Friday, the death toll from the violence rose to seven.
Information to remember
⇒ The first military flights took off on Saturday from Nouméa to repatriate the French from mainland France.
⇒ The situation on the archipelago is still “extremely fragile” according to the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal.
⇒ New operations on Saturday to dismantle the dams.
The repatriation of French tourists has begun
For French people in mainland France stuck due to the riots, the first flights aboard military aircraft took off on Saturday from the Magenta airfield in Nouméa, towards Australia and New Zealand.
“The wait was endless, since the reopening of the airport is postponed day by day,” one of these tourists told AFP, referring to La Tontouta international airport, closed since the 14 may.
“Extremely fragile” situation
The death toll from the violence rose to seven on Friday, the seventh being a 48-year-old man whose identity has not been communicated, killed by a police officer. Before this homicide, the circumstances of which remain to be clarified, two gendarmes, one of whom was hit by an accidental shot, three Kanaks (natives) and a Caldoche (Caledonian of European origin) had been killed. Images from public television Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ère, and photos widely commented on social networks, showed the departure on Saturday morning of the coffin of a 19-year-old separatist, killed in Nouméa on May 15, by boat towards the island from Maré, where he was from.
Two days after the head of state’s one-day visit, opponents of electoral reform remain determined to obtain its definitive withdrawal. In the neighborhoods where the separatists are the most numerous, regaining control of the lines of communication and stopping the acts of destruction will be a very long and complex job.
“It is order that must be restored, and restored quickly, before the situation degenerates further,” said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Friday during a ceremony paying tribute to the two gendarmes killed. near Paris. “The situation today remains extremely fragile in New Caledonia, anything can cause it to falter.”
Operations against dams
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. Between the districts of Ducos and Kaméré, around ten backhoe loaders were active on Saturday to clear piles of debris still on fire, under the watchful eye of the gendarmes who secured the area.
The Raid intervenes first to secure the passage of the convoy, under the incessant noise of the blades of a helicopter flying over the area. Trucks and sweepers bring up the rear to remove debris. The night from Friday to Saturday was still rough in several neighborhoods in and around Nouméa.
An independentist collective denounces “the strong repression”
“We are maintaining resistance in our neighborhoods,” said Christian Tein, the leader of the CCAT, the independence collective which is organizing the protest, during a press conference on Friday. He denounced “the strong repression […] that our population is suffering”.
The separatist said he wanted to “loosen the grip a little so that the fuel […] and above all medicines” can be transported without hindrance. “This is our priority”, he assured.
The state of emergency established on May 16 still prevails, with the accompanying measures: twelve-hour daily curfew, ban on gatherings, transport of weapons and sale of alcohol, ban on the application TikTok.