Paris has extended a curfew in its Indo-Pacific territory of New Caledonia until mid-October, its high commissioner said on Friday.
The Pacific archipelago has been gripped by unrest since mid-May over a proposed bill to revise election rules. French authorities in New Caledonia have also extended restrictions on carrying firearms and transporting fuel in portable containers until October 14.
Public gatherings, with the exception of sporting events, remain banned in the capital Nouméa and surrounding towns until October 14.
Riots killed 13 people, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency on May 16 and the deployment of the French army. A controversial bill to revise electoral rules would allow French citizens who have lived on the island for at least 10 years to vote in local elections. However, locals, especially the indigenous Kanak population, feared that the changes would weaken their voting rights.
In June, 11 Kanak activists were arrested in a large-scale police raid. Seven of them, including Christian Tein, the leader of the Kanak independence movement known as the Field Coordination Unit, were taken 17,000 kilometres to mainland France for pre-trial detention.
Tein’s associates have accused French authorities of “colonialist actions” and demanded the activists’ immediate release and return to their homeland. In a recent statement posted on social media, they vowed that “the Kanak people will never give up their quest for independence through peaceful means.”
