Municipal police vans patrol the streets in Noumea, New Caledonia, Thursday May, 16, 2024. France has imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. The measures imposed on Wednesday for at least 12 days boost security forces’ powers to quell deadly unrest that has left four people dead, erupting after protests over voting reforms.
One of the men, wounded in the head by a ‘’ballistic projectile,’’ died Friday, prosecutor Yves Dupas said Saturday. He ordered an autopsy of the dead man, who was 26. The eight dead since violence erupted in mid-May in New Caledonia, which is 10 time zones and more than 33,000 kilometers from Paris, include two police officers.
The other man hit by gunfire on Monday was wounded in the arm. While taking the men to the hospital, police said they were disrupted by protesters at roadblocks and pelted with stones, according to Dupas.French authorities regain full control of New Caledonia’s capital after days of deadly unrestin response to attempts
Pro-independence parties and Kanak leaders fear the voting legislation will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize Kanaks, who have faced sharp economic disparities and decades of discrimination.to the territory in May help police quell the revolt, which included shootings, clashes, looting and arson. Both sides of New Caledonia’s bitter divide erected barricades, either to revolt against authorities or to protect their homes and properties.