On Sunday, French forces launched a large operation to regain control of the road linking New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa to the main international airport, France 24 reported.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over 600 heavily-armed gendarmes had been deployed to quell incidents initiated by the local population in response to the granting of voting rights to French citizens and to secure the 60 kilometres (37 miles) of Territorial Route 1 between New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa and the airport.
Plans were cancelled on Saturday for the Olympic torch relay to pass through French territory, which was due to arrive on June 11, but French Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera said the priority for now was to return calm to the territory.
“I think that everyone understands, given the context, that the priority really is to consolidate the return to public order, and then to appeasement. Priority to the safety of residents, priority to a return to calm, and priority to the political improvement of the situation.”
As a result of the operation, nearly 60 roadblocks were neutralised with the help of the national gendarmerie and police, according to the High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia. So far, more than 200 people have been arrested in the region and 20 grocery shops have reopened, Darmanin noted.
According to Darmanin, the French government knows that many roadblocks still need to be cleared and has issued firm orders to law enforcement.
Six people have been killed and hundreds have been injured since the unrest began on Monday, according to local authorities. The violence has been fuelled by economic problems, ethnic tensions and long-standing opposition to French rule in the Pacific archipelago, which is 17,000 kilometres (10,500 miles) from France.
A state of emergency, a nighttime curfew, a ban on TikTok, the arrival of hundreds of soldiers from mainland France failed to prevent riots Saturday night into Sunday. Unknown groups set two fires and raided a petrol station New Caledonia High Commissioner, according to the office.
The riots have also resulted in flights to and from New Caledonia’s main island being cancelled since the riots began, leaving some 3,200 travellers stranded. A local business group estimated the damage in the Nouméa area at more than 200 million euros ($200 million).
Protests burst out after the French National Assembly passed a constitutional reform of voting rules. The reform would give French nationals who have lived on the island for at least 10 years the right to vote in local elections.
