New Caledonia

May 24, 2024 5:24 PM

The colonial-era inequalities that fuelled the New Caledonia crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron said on a visit to New Caledonia on Thursday that inequalities had widened on the French-ruled Pacific archipelago and were a driving force in the deadly civil unrest that broke out last week. The island territory is marked by deep disparities in education and employment, according to census data and experts on New Caledonia, despite equal opportunities policies that were part of past political agreements in the 1980s and 1990s. The poverty rate among indigenou...

May 23, 2024 2:13 PM

Macron says dialogue ‘necessary’ in visit to riot-hit New Caledonia

French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed dialogue was "necessary" during a hastily arranged visit to New Caledonia on Thursday (May 23) after deadly riots triggered by a contested electoral reform hit the Pacific island. "In the coming hours and days, massive new operations will be scheduled where necessary, and republican order in its entirety will be re-established because there is no other choice," Macron said during a meeting with political and business leaders in the capital Noume...

May 16, 2024 12:53 PM

Pacific countries call for calm as New Caledonia riots continue

New Caledonia's Pacific neighbours called for de-escalation and a return to dialogue between France and the island territory's political parties, after a third night of violent riots that have killed four people and led to hundreds of arrests. France declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia that came into force at 5 a.m. local time (1800 GMT Wednesday), giving authorities additional powers to ban gatherings and forbid people from moving around the island. Rioting broke out over a new bil...