Pacific Island nations blame France for New Caledonia violence

By Seyma Uzundere

Pacific island nations held France responsible for the violence in New Caledonia, one of the five French island territories across the Indo-Pacific, where seven people were killed.

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's climate change minister, said the events in New Caledonia were foreseen three years ago at the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

Regenvani accused France of ignoring calls for a third independence referendum by the indigenous Kanak people, thus setting the stage for the current crisis.

Regenvani stated that French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the island for "dialogue" had no impact on resolving the crisis and urged France to withdraw the proposed constitutional reform, which has mobilized independence supporters.

He also warned that violence would continue if the Macron administration did not take this step.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the Pacific Islands Forum chair, which includes New Caledonia, expressed concerns about the political developments on the island in a letter to the New Caledonian government, expressing his readiness to help resolve the crisis.

Brown mentioned that there were several mechanisms among the forum members to address historical and complex issues and noted that the Pacific region hosts many independent experts who could contribute to the political process in New Caledonia.

The French government initiated a constitutional reform that would reduce the electoral influence of the indigenous Kanaks, prompting independence supporters on the island to mobilize.

In response to the unrest, which erupted on May 13, the French government dispatched a large number of police and gendarmes to the island and declared a state of emergency. Seven people were killed in the clashes.

During his visit, Macron did not withdraw the constitutional reform proposal and allowed time for dialogue between independence supporters and their opponents.

The indigenous Kanaks believe the French government's constitutional reform initiative violates the 1988 Noumea Accord. The proposed changes would allow French citizens who have lived on the island for at least 10 years to vote in local elections.

New Caledonia gained autonomy with the Noumea Agreement in 1998, which restricted voting rights to those who resided on the island before 1998 and their descendants to prevent the indigenous population from becoming a minority.

Three referendums on independence, held in 2018, 2020, and 2021, all resulted in a "no" vote.

The pro-independence Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front boycotted the 2021 referendum, protesting France's influence on the elections and demanding that the referendum be held at a later date less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan