“Riots erupted in mid-May 2024 in New Caledonia, as the Kanak people rose up against their French rulers. The unrest was sparked by a new policy that French President Emmanuel Macron planned to implement in the Pacific territory, located over 16,000 kilometers from Paris,” Caliber.Az reports citing the article.
According to the article, the French took control of Kanaky, the homeland of the Kanaks, in 1853, with a few French settlers arriving soon after. In 1864, France established a penal colony in Kanaky, sending over 20,000 criminals and political prisoners to the island over the next three decades.
In mid-May 2024, after six nights of rioting that resulted in six deaths, France dispatched an additional 1,000 police and gendarmes to join the 1,000 already present. By the time President Emmanuel Macron visited the territory on May 23, 3,000 French soldiers had been deployed to the island.
Macron’s proposed policy would extend voting rights to thousands of French residents who have migrated to Kanaky in recent decades, diluting the political influence of the Kanak population.
Kanaky became an official French overseas territory in 1946. However, following Vanuatu’s successful expulsion of French colonial rule in the early 1980s, the movement for Kanak liberation gained momentum. Organizations like the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front played a key role in coordinating efforts towards decolonization.
The recent uprising is viewed by the Kanaks as the latest step in their struggle for independence. The ongoing calm on the streets hinges on whether their demands are addressed.
Settler colonial violence
In the midst of the ongoing unrest, the World Women of March – Kanaky released a statement, focusing less on the street violence and more on appealing for “international solidarity in response to the violent situation” they were experiencing.
The broader conflict dates back to 1853, when the French seized Kanak lands. This was followed by military “civilizing missions” aimed at pacifying the Kanaks through force and a transmigration program that transformed Kanaky into the settler colonial territory now known as New Caledonia.
The Kanak people make up 40 percent of the island’s population of 246,000, totaling around 111,000 individuals, compared to 135,000 non-Indigenous residents. The Kanaks have always inhabited the land, while the French presence dates back to the penal colony era, with a recent influx of more French settlers.
Since May 13, 2024, “we have been subjected to an extensive operation of colonial repression, including the massive deployment of French armed forces to a country already undergoing a process of militarization,” the Kanak feminists stated last month. Although there is a temporary calm, the situation is far from resolved.
“The French colonial state is pursuing the degradation of the living conditions of the Kanak people,” the collective emphasized.
Debunking disinformation
Kanaky-New Caledonia has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1986. The 1998 Noumea Accords led to three referendums on self-determination. The first referendum, held in November 2018, saw 43.3 percent of voters supporting independence. The second referendum, held in October 2020, saw an increase to 46.7 percent in favor.
The third referendum was scheduled for 2022. Despite the Kanak independence movement’s request for a delay, the French government proceeded with the vote. As a result, the Kanaks reject the third vote as an official referendum and have approached the International Court of Justice regarding its legitimacy.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron aims to change the law to ensure that recent settlers are included in future votes, a move seen as undermining the Kanak population’s influence on the island’s political future.
Sounding alarm on genocide
“We demand a complete halt to the genocidal process through massive international pressure,” the Women of March – Kanaky assert. “Our civilization is in danger. This is a distress signal. While we are strong, as our history shows, we are also in mourning, stunned, and overwhelmed. We need all the international feminist support we can muster.”
Ignoring the Kanaks’ concerns benefits the French state, particularly in the current geopolitical climate. France views New Caledonia as a strategic forward base in the Indo-Pacific and values the region’s abundant nickel resources and recently discovered oil and gas reserves.
Palestinian organizer Tasnim Sammak recently told Sydney Criminal Lawyers that in this era of neocolonialism, the violence of old colonialism is resurfacing, revealing a stark divide between colonizers and the colonized.
“We are already seeing France emboldened to send troops to Kanaky to address the ‘native problem’,” she added.
Caliber.Az
