France on Wednesday imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago which has claimed four lives so far, AP reported.
The indigenous people have long sought independence in this French fiefdom. This week’s unrest erupted as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to make changes to voter lists in New Caledonia.
Armed clashes and other violence that erupted on Monday following protests over voting reforms have left four people dead, including a gendarme, and injured more than 300, French authorities said, AP reported.
There have been more than 130 arrests so far, French authorities said.
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The emergency has been imposed for at least 12 days, boosting security forces’ powers to mitigate deadly unrest. French military forces have been deployed to protect ports and airports, to free up police and security forces battling looting, arson and other violence, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced as the emergency measures kicked in at 8 pm Paris time, which was 5 a.m. Thursday in New Caledonia.
“Nothing can ever justify violence,” Attal said. “Our absolute priority for the next few hours is the return to order and calm.”
After a two-hour security meeting Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and top ministers at the parliament, Gabriel Attal said the aim of the state of emergency will be to restore order in the “shortest time possible”, PTI reported.
The emergency measures give authorities greater powers to tackle the violence, including the possibility of house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanded powers to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators.
The last time France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia, the Interior Ministry said, AP reported.
France’s government also rushed hundreds of police reinforcements to the island, where pro-independence supporters have long pushed to break free from France. The Interior Ministry said 500 additional officers were expected within hours on the archipelago to bolster 1,800 police and gendarmes already there.
What is the unrest in this French region about?
There have been decades of tensions on the archipelago between Indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.
The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.
According to an AP report, opponents say the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in this region and further marginalize indigenous Kanak people. They once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination. The vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia is 10 time zones ahead of Paris.
(With inputs from AP)