PARIS — France announced Wednesday it is imposing a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia for at least 12 days, boosting security forces' powers to quell deadly unrest that has left four people dead.
“The priority is to restore order, calm, serenity,” Thevenot, the government spokeswoman, said. The emergency measures will go into force at 8 p.m. Paris time on Wednesday night, which is 5 a.m in New Caledonia.France's government also rushed hundreds of police reinforcements to the island, where pro-independence supporters have long pushed to break free from France.
People have been confined to their homes for two days, terrified by “shooting from all sides,” Clément, a nursery director, told the French broadcaster. “We’ve stopped eating, we’ve stopped living, we’ve stopped sleeping,” she added.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.
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. 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.
An overnight curfew in New Caledonia was extended to Thursday. Schools and the main airport remained closed, Le Franc said.
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