Australia and New Zealand to Evacuate Nationals Amid Violent Unrest in New Caledonia
Australia and New Zealand announced they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory, which has experienced a week of deadly riots sparked by electoral changes from Paris.
France's High Commission in New Caledonia stated on Tuesday that the airport remains closed for commercial flights and that the military will be deployed to protect public buildings.
Approximately 3,200 people are waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights have been canceled due to the unrest that erupted last week, according to the local government. Over 1,000 gendarmes and police from France are already on the ground, with an additional 600 personnel expected to arrive soon, the High Commission added. Roads in Noumea are being cleared, with bulldozers removing burnt-out car carcasses and debris.
Six people have been killed, and the unrest has left a trail of burnt businesses and cars, looted shops, and road barricades restricting access to medicine and food. The business chamber reported that 150 companies had been looted and burnt.
New Zealand, French, and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, following New Zealand and Australia's requests for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft for tourist evacuations. France's defense council later agreed to arrangements allowing tourists to return home.
"New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days, and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. "We want to acknowledge the support of relevant authorities, both in Paris and Nouméa, in facilitating this flight," he added, noting that further flights would be sent in the coming days.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated in a social media post on Tuesday that clearance had been received for two "Australian government-assisted departure flights today for Australian and other tourists to depart New Caledonia."
Protests erupted last week, fueled by anger among indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved in France that changes who is allowed to participate in elections, which local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote. Viro Xulue, part of a community group providing social assistance to other Kanaks amid the crisis, said it felt like a return to the civil war of the 1980s, and people were scared.
"We are really scared about the police, the French soldiers, and we are scared about the anti-Kanak militia terrorist group," Xulue told Reuters in a video interview. Three of the six people killed in the unrest were young Kanaks shot by armed civilians, and confrontations have occurred between Kanak protesters and armed self-defense groups or civilian militias formed for protection, according to the High Commission.
"The French Government doesn't know how to control people here. They send more than 2,000 military to control, but it's fail," Xulue said. Pro-independence political parties are demanding the French government withdraw the electoral reform before restarting talks, while France maintains that re-establishing order is a precondition to dialogue.
