Indian Council of World Affairs

The Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia recently witnessed violent protests, over the issue of electoral reforms. New Caledonia is a French overseas collectivity with significant autonomy, it is a part of French Republic.[1] The President of France is New Caledonia's Head of State and is represented in New Caledonia by a High Commissioner. The reason for the violence and protests was mainly the indigenous Kanak’s anger, who constitute about 40 percent of the total population, on the voting reforms being discussed in the French parliament, which they feel would reduce their influence. The two weeks of unrest resulted in significant loss of lives and property before the situation came under control. In the past also New Caledonia has witnessed tensions over the issue of autonomy and the role of France has long been a crucial question.  The archipelago has been divided over the issue of whether New Caledonia should be a part of France or fully independent. 

What Is the Current Conflict All about? 

New Caledonia is a small archipelago spanning around 500 kilometers in the South Pacific region, with a population of 270,000, including 41% Melanesian Kanak and 24% people of European origin, mostly French and rest include Polynesian and other (including Vietnamese, Indonesian and Algerian) origins.[2] It has an area of 18.6 thousand sq km and an EEZ of 1.4 million sq km.[3] New Caledonia is a major source of nickel in the world, tourism is another important industry. 

New Caledonia is a part of France but is different from other French overseas territories.  It was discovered by British explorer James Cook in 1774. The country came under French control in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, and became a part of France. New Caledonia remained an important maritime stopover and during the World War II, New Caledonia became a base for Allied forces. New Caledonia was made a French Overseas Territory in 1946.[4]  

 
Figure No 1: Map Depicting the Location of New Caledonia

Source: https://cdn.britannica.com/20/183720-050-247328E1/World-Data-Locator-Map-New-Caledonia.jpg

France recognises that “more than three hundred Kanak clans inhabited New Calednoia, before the explorer James Cook arrived in 1774”.[5]  Ethnic differences have been there between indegenous Kanaks and descendants of colonists and others who settled in the territory and want to remain part of France. Indigenous Kanaks have been vocal about their extremely poor standards of living. According to the 2019 census, 32.5% of Indigenous Kanaks live in poverty. [6] A report in 2011, by James Anaya, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, upon concluding his visit to New Caledonia, had mentioned about “indigenous communities’ repeated expressions of frustration about ongoing patterns of discrimination, limitations on the exercise of their customary rights, poor social and economic conditions, and lack of adequate participation in decisions affecting them in many respects”.[7] The Kanaks have been advocating the independence of New Caledonia from France for a long time. New Caledonia had witnessed widespread violent clashes in the 1980s between supporters and opponents of independence. That was the last time France imposed a state of emergency on the archipelago. 

In 1998, the major pro and anti-independence parties in New Caledonia agreed to participate in a negotiated transition to independence. After a series of negotiations, the Noumea Accord was signed on 5 May 1998 between France and New Caledonia. The Accord was enacted into law by subsequent legislations in Paris. Key elements of the Accord included, constitutional changes for New Caledonia’s status within the French Republic, creating ‘shared sovereignty’, new citizenship, elections for new political institutions, and the transfer of administrative powers from Paris to local authorities.[8]  Recognising indigenous Kanaks’ culture and identity, the Accord mentioned that “decolonisation is the way to rebuild a lasting social bond between the communities living in New Caledonia today, by enabling the Kanak people to establish new relations with France, reflecting the realities of our time”….[9] “The agreement also specified the political organisation of New Caledonia and the arrangements for its independence over a 20 year period, leading to New Caledonia to achieve complete independence at the end of this period.”[10] As per the Accord, New Caledonia has its own institutions and legislation that is different from mainland France.[11] Residents, who arrived in the archipelago after the date of signing of the Accord, cannot vote in local elections. Currently, only the Kanaks and those who arrived from France before 1998 can cast their ballots. Overall, 20% of French citizens, around 40,000 people currently residing in New Caledonia, cannot vote in the local elections. 

As per the Accord, the Congress of New Caledonia “was mandated to request up to three referendums on whether New Caledonia should assume the final sovereign powers and become fully independent from France”. These were held in 2018 and again in 2020, both ending with a vote in favour of the status quo. Another referendum in 2021 resulted in a similar decision, but it was disputed as indigenous Kanaks said they boycotted the referendum.[12] 

During President Macron’s visits to New Caledonia in July 2023, it was announced that France would forge ahead with processing a new statute for New Caledonia, replacing the 1998 Noumea Accord, which lasted for three decades, since all three referendums on independence from France, resulted in vote for the status quo. During his speech, President Macron had also mentioned about the reform of political institutions in New Caledonia, including the major step of unfreezing the electoral rolls before the provincial elections in May 2024.[13] The current situation follows from this, after the electoral reform bill was put up for discussion in French Parliament. 

The current clashes in Noumea were triggered by the French Government’s attempt to amend the French constitution to alter the membership of voting lists. The French legislature in Paris was debating the electoral reform bill, to broaden the electorate, to allow French citizens who moved after 1998 and residing in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to take part in local elections. Local leaders representing the indigenous Kanak people feel that this would dilute their vote.[14]  This has led to massive riots in recent weeks involving supporters and opponents of independence in New Caledonia. Beginning in early May with protests by some youth against the French moves, the protests later turned violent on 13 May 2024. There were widespread riots in New Caledonia; France imposed a state of emergency on 16 May 2024. The situation remained tense with riots, looting and burning of shops, a number of people also lost their lives. While announcing the emergency measures, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, said that emergency was needed to return to calm, and that France would “spare no means, no effort for the return of order and security to New Caledonia”.[15] Around 3,000 security personnel were deployed to quell the unrest. Australia and New Zealand had also sent support. Tourists in New Caledonia were evacuated given the crisis situation. Australia evacuated more than 200 Australian nationals in the wake of the riots. Pro-independence parties and Kanak leaders argued that France should withdraw the bill if peace is to be restored. [16]  Although the voting change has been approved by the French parliament’s lower house, it still needs final ratification. Due to the protest, France delayed the ratification of the electoral reform bill, although the view in Paris was that the bill has ‘democratic legitimacy’ as the New Caledonians have decided to maintain the status quo, with France, in 2021 referendum.[17]

After a week of violence, French President Macron arrived in New Caledonia on 23 May2024, with his Interior and Defence Ministers, to review the riot situation. During the one-day visit, it was announced that the reform bill has been postponed for now for “a few weeks” as President Macron said “so things can calm down, dialogue can restart, with the aim of reaching a broad agreement.”[18] 

He said “the security forces will remain as long as necessary, even during the Olympic Games and Paralympics (which open in Paris on 26 July 2024)”. President Macron tweeted that, the return of republican order is the priority[19] President Macron also said that a mediation mission would be put in place to play an “impartial role” in reaching a broad agreement.[20] It was also announced that, faced with the massive damage in New Caledonia, a solidarity fund will be set up to help all economic players. The state (France) will also support communities to quickly rebuild public buildings and educational establishments.  

After almost12 days, the state of emergency was lifted in the evening of 28 May 2024, to enable meetings of the various components of pro and anti independence groups,[21] but evening and overnight curfew still remain in place. Currently, normalcy has been restored, however, it will be important to see how the situation unfolds in the coming days. 

What is at Stake for France? 

France as a resident power in the Indian and the Pacific Ocean identifies itself as a “nation of the Indo-Pacific”.[22] French overseas territories and collectivities in the Indian and Pacific Oceans are: Mayotte and La Réunion Islands and New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna, respectively. Owing to these, France has one of the largest EEZs in the world of almost 9 million km², with 1.6 million French citizens living in French overseas. France has stationed overseas armed forces and permanent military bases to fulfill the security responsibilities of a resident power in the Indo-Pacific.[23] France, therefore, has an interest in maintaining security and stability in the wider Indo-Pacific region and reaffirming French sovereignty over the Pacific dependencies.[24]

In recent years, France, has been concerned about the rapidly shifting strategic balance in the South Pacific, particularly China’s strategic ambitions and activities that may “reshape the entire regions’ security dynamics”.[25] The French Indo-Pacific Strategy 2022, highlights that “the Indo-Pacific region is seeing profound strategic changes. China’s power is increasing, and its territorial claims are expressed with greater and greater strength. Competition between China and the US is increasing, which was earlier centred on economics and technology, and is expanding in to the military sphere. All of these elements are changing regional balances of power, and making strategic calculations more complex”.[26]

French Pacific presence is a strategic asset for the country. New Caledonia is a crucial source of 30-40 percent of the world’s total nickel, along with petroleum and hydrocarbon reserves. The Archipelago’s economy relies heavily on nickel exports, used to make stainless steel, rechargeable batteries and coins. French Polynesia is also strategically located. French Polynesia alone makes up almost 45 percent of the French EEZ.[27] Controlling these assets at a time when there is an ever increasing need for energy puts France in an important strategic position in the regional geopolitics. 

The issue of indigenous communities’ rights has been a sensitive one in both French Polynesia and New Caledonia, which they feel have been suppressed. The Kanak National Liberation Movement’s representative had raised voice at the United Nations’ Special Committee on Decolonisation in June 2023, against the 2021 referendum calling it illegitimate. At the same meeting representative of a pro-independence party from French Polynesia also raised the issue, calling for “proper decolonisation and self-determination process in the island territory, under the scrutiny of United Nations”.[28]

The overseas territories are important for Paris in its plans to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. New Caledonia is a strategic foothold for France in the region. President Macron had first visited New Caledonia in 2018, a few months before the referendum was slated to be held. During his visit, he had stressed that France wants to remain a ‘Pacific power’ and that the archipelago of New Caledonia is "a geopolitical opportunity". [29]

Conclusion 

The recent riots and violence in New Caledonia were unprecedented. President Macron flying all the way from Paris to monitor the riot situation in New Caledonia, shows its significance in French foreign policy priorities. Clearly, France would not like to lose New Caledonia, which would challenge its Indo-Pacific strategy. The situation is difficult for France, more so, as the geopolitical landscape in the South Pacific region itself has been heating up in recent years with regional players concerns about China’s large scale diplomatic, economic and military advances in the region. The region is fast emerging as an inflection point in the context of the geopolitical churning in the larger Indo-Pacific region.

Although the violent situation has come under control for now, and France has announced that the reform bill will not be forced through in the current situation. Also it will be reviewed, to allow the resumption of dialogue among all the parties in New Caledonia, however, the situation is far from a final resolution. The issue of self determination and independence remains a burning issue in New Caledonia’s politics. It will be important to see how things unfold in the coming times, and that will determine the fate of French sovereignty over its Pacific dependency.

*****

*Dr. Pragya Pandey, Research Fellow, ICWA.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.

Endnotes

[1]French Overseas refers all land under French sovereignty outside mainland France. All these together constitute an area of almost 120 000 km² and are home to more than 2.6 million people.

Some of the former French colonies are officially overseas regions or departments and are fully part of France. These include: in the Caribbean, the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the eastern Caribbean, and the Antilles islands, French Guiana, a small country on the northeastern coast of South America and the island of La Réunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

Then there are overseas collectivities, which have a certain degree of autonomy and can pass their own laws, although some areas are run from Paris. These include New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy. Each of these places has varying degrees of autonomy from Paris but are dependent on French subsidies to a large extent. In case of New Caledonia; residents of the island can have both Caledonian and French citizenship. It also has its own armed forces.  (see: https://www.france.fr/en/article/french-overseas-territories#discovering-overseas-france-a-unique-and-unforgettable-experience-1 and https://www.thelocal.fr/20211208/com-dom-tom-and-drom-how-to-understand-french-overseas-territories)

[2] New Caledonia country brief, Overview, https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/new-caledonia/new-caledonia-country-brief

[3] Pacific Island Form’s website, https://forumsec.org/pacific-islands-forum

[4] A historical and cultural melting pot in New Caledonia, 4 Janury 2023, https://www.france.fr/en/article/historical-and-cultural-melting-pot-new-caledonia-0#to-see-1

[5] Ibid.

[6] The New Caledonia riots are over, but what remains?, 30 May 2024, https://www.euronews.com/2024/05/30/how-french-colonisation-set-new-caledonia-on-fire

[7] Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, upon concluding his visit to New Caledonia– 4 to 13 February 2011, https://cendoc.docip.org/collect/cendocdo/index/assoc/HASH7fbb/9457d139.dir/SRap_NCaledonie_2011.pdf

[8] MacLellan, Nic. “The Noumea Accord and Decolonisation in New Caledonia.” The Journal of Pacific History 34, no. 3 (1999): 245–52. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25169446.

[9] ‘Noumea Accord – Digest,’ Australian Indigenous Law Reporter 88, 7.1. (2002), http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AILR/2002/17.html

[10] Ibid.

[11] The Electoral Reform in New Caledonia as a Blessing in Disguise, 29 May 2024, https://verfassungsblog.de/a-blessing-in-disguise/

[12] New Caledonia country brief, Overview,  https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/new-caledonia/new-caledonia-country-brief

[13] Macron to ditch Noumea Accord and introduce new statute for New Caledonia, 27 July 2023, https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/494567/macron-to-ditch-noumea-accord-and-introduce-new-statute-for-new-caledonia

[14] The New Caledonia riots are over, but what remains?, 30 May 2024, https://www.euronews.com/2024/05/30/how-french-colonisation-set-new-caledonia-on-fire

[15] Twitter, https://x.com/GabrielAttal/status/1790843748928135470

[16] France lifts state of emergency in New Caledonia to open negotiations, 27 May 2024, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/27/france-lifts-state-of-emergency-in-new-caledonia-to-open-negotiations

[17] In restive New Caledonia, Macron sees Pacific power and influence, May 26, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/restive-new-caledonia-macron-sees-pacific-power-influence-2024-05-25/

[18] Macron Postpones Change in Voting Rules in New Caledonia, 23 May 2024, https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/macron-postpones-change-in-voting-rules-in-new-caledonia-1.2076869

[19] Twitter, https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1793511872496554290

[20] Macron vows not to rush through voting change after New Caledonia visit, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/22/macron-arrives-in-new-caledonia-amid-calls-for-france-to-withdraw-voting-changes

[21] France lifts state of emergency in New Caledonia to open negotiations, 27 May 2024, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/27/france-lifts-state-of-emergency-in-new-caledonia-to-open-negotiations

[22] I bid. no. 4

[23] France and Security in the Indo-Pacific’, Ministry of Armed Forces, France, 2019

[24] Nic Macllenan, France and the Blue Pacific, 30 April 2018, Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 428.

[25] French Defence and National Security Review, 2017, p. 44, file:///C:/Users/GEM/Desktop/DEFENCE+AND+NATIONAL+SECURITY+STRATEGIC+REVIEW+2017.pdf, Accessed on 10 May 2022.

[26] France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, 2022, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/en_dcp_a4_indopacifique_022022_v1-4_web_cle878143.pdf, Accessed on 10 May 2022.

[27]Denise Fisher, “France in the South Pacific: Power and Politics”, ANU Press, 2013, pp. 5-6.

[28] UN told France has ‘robbed’ Kanaks of New Caledonian independence, 15 June 2023, https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/492006/un-told-france-has-robbed-kanaks-of-new-caledonian-independence

[29] Pro-France rally as Macron visits New Caledonia ahead of independence vote, 4 May 2018, https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d33596a4d77457a6333566d54/share_p.html