Two killed by police in New Caledonia amid ongoing independence tensions

French police have shot and killed two men in New Caledonia during a security operation, as the territory remains gripped by unrest over a proposed constitutional reform. Tensions around the reform, which reignited the independence debate, have simmered for months, especially in the stronghold of Saint Louis.

Yves Dupas, the public prosecutor, said police on an observation mission in Saint Louis fired two shots after being “directly threatened by a group of armed individuals”.

The men killed were 29 and 30 years old. Police had been searching for about a dozen people suspected of involvement in armed robbery and attacks on security forces.

More deaths

The death toll in the territory has now risen to 13 over the past four months, as protests by pro-independence activists have led to deadly clashes.

Demonstrations began three months ago in response to the proposed reform of voting rights.

Indigenous Kanaks believe the reform, which would require a constitutional amendment, would weaken their voting power and make independence harder to achieve in any future referendum.

French President Emmanuel Macron defended the reform, calling it necessary to improve democracy. However, he suspended it after dissolving parliament and calling new elections, which in July resulted in a hung lower house with no clear majority.

Ongoing violence

Unrest has ebbed since then, though the independence movement has vowed to continue its mobilisation until the reform is scrapped.

Clashes have persisted in Saint Louis, which remains one of the few areas still under a nighttime curfew. Only emergency vehicles are allowed through the remaining roadblocks.

France has sent thousands of troops and police to New Caledonia to restore order. Since June, 13 pro-independence activists have been arrested, with seven currently in prison – five of them in mainland France.

(with AFP, Reuters)