The conflict broke out on Monday after the debate in the French parliament on the reform, which will grant the vote to French citizens who have lived in the area for at least ten years, a decision that a large part of Kanak’s indigenous population considers a shame . a reduction in their rights.
French authorities announced on Thursday that a new deployment of 1,000 security forces in New Caledonia, which spans three archipelagos and has a population of about 270,000, after five people were killed and another 200 arrested in protests registered as Paris calls for expanding the electoral roll to allow French citizens to vote.
During the last days thousands of people have taken to the streets in New Caledonia to protest against the constitutional reform that would expand the electoral roll. New Caledonia is currently under a state of emergency announced by the President. Emmanuel Macronand which came into force in the capital Noumea on Thursday.
The conflict broke out on Monday after the debate in the French parliament of a electoral reform that grants voting rights to French citizens, a decision that affects a large part of the Indigenous Kanak peopleIndependents in particular fear that their rights will be curtailed.
The text, which was ultimately approved and which Macron plans to ratify next month, proposes the following voting rights for French citizens who are at least ten years old living in the territory.
The Kanaks, and especially the independence alliance of Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS)have dismissed the proposal as a blow to their ambitions at a particularly critical moment in relations with France, after the alliance boycotted the last independence referendum of 2021, which ended in a victory for the unionists.
The French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attalhas declared that the thousand additional troops of the security forces will be added to the 1700 that are already in the area. Attal, who has stressed the importance of dialogue, has deplored the death of a fifth person in the protests; a police officer who died after being accidentally shot by a colleague.
In total they are three civiliansbetween 17 and 36 years old, and Two police officers dead since the start of the mobilizations. In addition, at least 64 gendarmes were injured.
A total of 206 people have been arrested So far, as the Home Secretary said this morning: Gerald Darmaninin television statements.
On the other hand, the meeting between Macron and the local authorities of New Caledonia, scheduled for today, had to be canceled because the leaders in question “do not want to talk to each other”, as explained from the Elysée.
Controversy with Azerbaijan
Furthermore, the incidents in New Caledonia have also sparked controversy with Azerbaijan, which has made accusations “unfounded” against him by Paris, who claims that Baku tried to intervene to the detriment of the French authorities.
Azerbaijan, for example, rejected Thursday’s accusations of interference by Darmanin and labeled them as unfounded. ‘It’s a new accusation unfounded against the Azerbaijani state and its alleged links with leaders who defend the independence of New Caledonia,” the spokesman for Azerbaijani diplomacy said. Aychan Hajizade.
“As for Azerbaijan, it is not something fanciful, it is a reality,” the French minister said in statements to the France2 channel, which expressed regret. “part of the Caledonian independence leaders have made an agreement with Azerbaijan”. He added that the Azerbaijani regime is a “dictatorship that is slaughtering part of the population.
This was described by the spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs “offensive” the French side’s statements and has demanded “an end to the campaign to denigrate Azerbaijan with unacceptable accusations of mass murders of Armenians.”
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
