New Caledonia: State of emergency for at least twelve days; Paris speaks of "scenes of chaos"

Paris is speaking of "scenes of chaos" in its overseas territory of New Caledonia, after riots in recent days have left at least four dead.

The government spokeswoman announced that the state of emergency on that archipelago in Oceania will be valid for at least twelve days.

Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a decree giving the police broad powers to quell riots, including house arrest for people deemed a threat to public order.

A temporary blocking of access to the TikTok social network was also announced.

About five hundred policemen from France were sent to help the local police and gendarmerie, which is in action with about 1.800 people.

Riots in Noumea

Despite the curfew, unrest has continued in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, since Monday. Local media broadcast images of clashes, destroyed shops and gas stations, burning cars.

Eyewitnesses say that the sharp smell of burning is spreading through the city. The airport, schools, state administration buildings are closed. Long queues form in front of shops that have not been destroyed and ransacked.

So far, four dead have been counted, one of whom is a member of the order forces. He was allegedly killed by a gunshot that hit him in the head. More than three hundred people were injured, around 130 were detained.

The High Commission in New Caledonia estimates that around five thousand "rioters" are involved in the riots in Noumea and the surrounding area.

Opponents and supporters of New Caledonia's independence yesterday issued a joint statement calling on the population for "peace and reason".

So did Macron, who is ready to quickly receive a New Caledonian delegation in Paris to seek a political solution. He, on the other hand, warned those who cause unrest that the police and the judiciary will attack them with all their force.

Disputed reform of voting rights

The unrest was caused by the electoral law reform initiated by Paris. According to her, all French citizens who have lived in New Caledonia for more than ten years have the right to vote in the local elections there.

Thus, several thousand more French people would get the right to vote and be able to influence the situation in this province, which has only about 300.000 inhabitants.

The law was confirmed by both houses of the French Parliament and now all that remains is for the so-called Parliamentary Congress, which sits in Versailles on special occasions, to gather and confirm the law.

The indigenous population of the island sees this as an attack on their interests. Until now, the right to vote was acquired only after 25 years of residence on the archipelago.

France colonized New Caledonia in the mid-19th century, using it for a long time as a penal colony. The group of islands is located in the Pacific, about 1.500 kilometers east of Australia.

Failed referendums on independence

Proponents of New Caledonia's independence, including the head of the local government Louis Mapu, fear that the suffrage reforms will further suppress the influence of the indigenous population.

"This decision will greatly limit our ability to manage New Caledonia," Mapu said.

The move by Paris is seen as a blow to the 1998 agreement under which New Caledonia should gain more political power.

In as many as three referendums on independence - in 2018, 2020 and 2021 - residents convincingly decided to remain part of France. At the last referendum, with a low turnout, 96 percent of people voted to remain in France, while advocates of independence boycotted the referendum.

The area is still important for Paris, above all strategically, militarily, as well as because of the nickel deposits there.