Macron's Urgent Mission to Restore Order in New Caledonia Amid Unrest

French President Emmanuel Macron visited New Caledonia amid deadly unrest, urging the removal of barricades and promising police presence as long as needed. Six people have died, and violence persists despite curfews and reinforcements. Macron aims to restore peace, address economic reconstruction, and tackle political issues regarding New Caledonia's future.

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed Thursday for the removal of protesters' barricades in riot-hit New Caledonia and said police forces sent in to help battle deadly unrest in the French Pacific archipelago “will stay as long as necessary,'' even as French security services focus in coming weeks on safeguarding the Paris Olympics.

By canceling his previously announced schedule to fly across the globe from Paris to New Caledonia, Macron brought the weight of his office to bear on the crisis, which has left six dead and a trail of destruction on the archipelago where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought independence from France.

Pro-independence Kanak leaders, who a week earlier declined Macron's offer of talks by video, greeted him in person on Thursday, joining a meeting in the capital, Noumea, with rival pro-Paris leaders who want New Caledonia, which became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, to remain part of France.

Macron opened the meeting by calling for a minute of silence for the six people killed in shootings during the violence, including two gendarmes. He then urged local leaders to use their clout to help restore order. He said a state of emergency imposed by Paris for at least 12 days on May 15 to boost police powers could only be lifted if local leaders call for a clearing away of barricades that demonstrators and people trying to protect their neighborhoods have erected in Noumea and beyond.

“Everyone has a responsibility to really call for the lifting of the barricades, the cessation of all forms of attack, not simply for calm,'' he said.

Barricades made up of charred vehicles and other debris have turned some parts of Noumea into no-go zones and made traveling around perilous, including for the sick requiring medical treatment and for families fretting about where to find food and water after shops were pillaged and torched. French authorities say more than 280 people have been arrested since violence first flared May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated contested changes to New Caledonia voter lists.

The unrest continued to simmer as Macron jetted in, despite a 6 pm to 6 am curfew and more than 1,000 reinforcements for the archipelago's police and gendarmes, now 3,000 strong.

“I will be very clear here. These forces will remain as long as necessary. Even during the Olympic Games and Paralympics,'' which open in Paris on July 26, Macron said.

It was late Tuesday in Paris when he left on the 16,000-kilometer (10,000-mile) trip but, because of the distance and time difference, it was Thursday morning in New Caledonia when he arrived with his interior and defense ministers.

At Noumea's La Tontouta International Airport, which remains closed to commercial flights, Macron said on arrival that he wanted ''to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible.” Later, at Noumea's central police station, Macron thanked officers for their work in the face of what he described as “an absolutely unprecedented insurrection movement.'' “No one saw it coming with this level of organization and violence,” he said. “You did your duty. And I thank you.” The violence is the most severe in New Caledonia since the 1980s, the last time France imposed on state of emergency on the archipelago. This week, military flights have evacuated stranded tourists.

The destruction is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of Euros (dollars).

“We will discuss questions of economic reconstruction, support and rapid response, and the most delicate political questions, as we talk about the future of New Caledonia,” Macron said. “By the end of the day, decisions will be taken and announcements will be made.” When asked by a reporter whether he thought a 12-hour visit was enough, Macron responded: “We will see. I don't have a limit.” French legislature in Paris approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

There have been decades of tensions over the issue of independence between the Kanaks and descendants of colonists and others who settled in the territory of 2,70,000 and want to remain part of France.

Macron in the past has facilitated dialogue in New Caledonia between pro-independence and pro-France factions. The efforts culminated in a 2018 referendum, the first of three, in which New Caledonians voted to remain part of France by a narrow margin.