New Caledonia
New Caledonia: France’s way or the Pacific way?
France’s action in transporting eight indigenous New Caledonian detainees to metropolitan France can only fan the flames of ethnic and political difference that have erupted into…
France’s legislative elections and complications for New Caledonia
French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise decision at the weekend to dissolve France’s national assembly and set new elections for 30 June and 7 July. While Macron’s move…
Next steps for New Caledonia in the wake of Macron’s proposals
It will be a long process for the deeply polarised local independence and loyalist parties to hold meaningful discussions after 14 days of violence, as the implications sink in of…
Violence erupts in New Caledonia as independence supporters oppose legislation in Paris
Last night saw demonstrations by independence supporters in New Caledonia erupt into serious violence for the first time since the 1980s civil disturbances. The mainly indigenous…
New Caledonia: Uncertainty and division intensify as Paris imposes its will
Two years after the inconclusive third independence referendum under the 1998 Noumea Accord, uncertainty and tensions are mounting in New Caledonia. To force local discussion…
New Caledonia: France’s threat to impose change unilaterally weakened
New Caledonia’s political future remains uncertain, two years after a contested independence referendum in December 2021. All independence parties reject the pro-France…
New Caledonia: Independence leader wins French Senate seat over Macron favourite
France held its national senatorial elections on 24 September 2023, coincidentally the 170th anniversary of France claiming possession of New Caledonia in 1853. Of two…
Uncertainty in New Caledonia
France’s Interior and Overseas Territories Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Noumea from 1 to 4 June to keep pressure on local parties to agree on New Caledonia’s political future,…
France tightens the screws in New Caledonia
New Caledonian parties are meeting in Paris this week for talks that France hopes might break a deadlock over the territory’s future. After a disputed independence referendum in…
The China factor in France’s growing engagement in the “peaceful sea”
In recent years, France has stepped up its Pacific engagement. In October 2020, it appointed Christophe Penot as its first ambassador for the Indo-Pacific. It released an updated…