New Caledonia: Insecurity persists as radicals continue to orchestrate the crisis (2024)

Law enforcement has not yet succeeded, and will not succeed alone, in putting an end to the unrest in Greater Nouméa, that started on May 13. This is the conviction of progressives in New Caledonia, which includes Calédonie Ensemble, the non-independence party of the moderate right, led by Philippe Gomès and to which belongs Philippe Dunoyer, a member of the French presidential majority.

"The procedure relating to the constitutional bill [to enlarge the electorate] must be definitively halted," said Calédonie Ensemble. "The president has not made this clear enough, and some may exploit the ambiguities." After seven dead, 600 injured, 7,000 unemployed, and an estimated €1 billion in damage, "what more is needed" to convince Emmanuel Macron to drop his reform? This was the question asked by Gomès at a press conference in Nouméa on Tuesday, June 4. It began with a minute of silence "in memory of all the victims of the insurrection, to New Caledonians of all ethnicities and law enforcement."

On May 23, in Nouméa, President Macron pledged "not to force through" his reform, without saying the word "withdrawal" expected by pro-independence activists. Legally, it is certainly not possible to withdraw a bill that has been introduced – only the Congress meeting in Versailles or a referendum can seal the fate of the constitutional reform, said the presidency. Moreover, the president cannot back down too quickly, especially ahead of the European elections on June 9, which look set to be very difficult for his majority.

Far from a 'gradual return to normal'

But these arguments can't be understood on the New Caledonian blockades, and the government's deliberate ambiguity is keeping the anger alive, with the risk – as everyone now realizes after three weeks of insurrection mixed with urban riots – of a total collapse of New Caledonia.

Definitive suspension, abandonment of the reform, or announcement that there will never be a Congress: "There's a semantic Rubicon to be crossed," said Gomès, "which will allow the FLNKS [Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste] to facilitate the demobilization and delegitimization of the [most radical] groups that continue to cause damage." As a member of the Renaissance group [Macron's party], Dunoyer voted in favor of the reform to broaden the electorate. Today, however, the crisis is dominated by extremists from all sides, and the lawmaker is convinced that dropping the bill is the only possible way out.

According to Gomès, the current situation in New Caledonia "is one of civil war, and there's no need to be shy about using words." For "in three-quarters of the metropolitan area, nobody feels safe, except in the southern neighborhoods, which are predominantly white, and which have mobilized at roadblocks. Now, when people are forced to ensure their own safety, we know that civilians can kill others," said the president of Calédonie Ensemble.

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