New Caledonia protests

The first step to resolving the New Caledonia crisis is for France to return to the resolve it demonstrated in the mid-1990s and drastically alter its course – fast. 

While the immediate unrest has paused, Kanaks say that sustainable peace is dependent on their grievances being addressed.

The recent uprising in the French territory, once an essential bastion of U.S. power projection, holds deeper meaning for strategists.

Those detained are suspected of having a role in the deadly violence that wracked the archipelago starting in mid-May.

Violence flared on May 13 over the government’s attempt to change voting lists in the French Pacific territory, which Indigenous Kanaks say would marginalize their voices.

In terms of France’s broader Indo-Pacific engagement, the strategic implications of the New Caledonia uprising are profound both for Paris and its Western-aligned allies.

After meetings with both Indigenous Kanaks and the pro-Paris camp, Macron laid out a roadmap that he said could lead to another referendum for the territory.

Supporting separatism in France’s overseas territories has become a top priority as Baku seeks to punish France for its longtime sympathy for Armenia.

The violent unrest in New Caledonia is alarming. Sadly, the island territory is no stranger to violence.

France imposed a state of emergency for the first time since 1985 as protests against voting reforms morphed into violence.

The unrest started as French lawmakers debated voting reforms opposed by the indigenous Kanak people, who have long sought independence.