The Overseas Minister is in New Caledonia, François-Noël Buffet’s first trip to a territory where tensions are still very high. The riots are no longer those of May, when the separatists and many young people protested against the reform of the electoral body, but we are still far from a return to normal. The minister has held numerous meetings since his arrival, he presented this Thursday morning, October 17, what is called the S2R plan (Safeguard, refoundation and reconstruction). It provides for the extension of the partial unemployment system, the solidarity fund for businesses and 500 million euros for the territory. The minister also came to talk about nickel production, which has collapsed in recent months. 545,000 tonnes in August, according to INSEE, is three times less than the same period the previous year. Interview with historian Isabelle Merle, research director at CNRS and CREDO (Center for Research and Documentation on Oceania), specialist in colonization processes in the South Pacific.
The Minister of Overseas Territories in New Caledonia: “A process which tends towards appeasement”
