New Caledonia is “under siege”, the mayor of the capital Nouméa said, with new deaths recorded in the Pacific region, taking the death toll to six after almost a week of unrest.
The person was killed in a gunfight at one of the many improvised barricades blocking roads on the island, a French security official told The Associated Press, adding that two others were seriously injured in the clashes. The media reported. Officials said the gunfight broke out in the Kaala Gomen blockade in the northern part of the main island.
On Saturday, Nouméa Mayor Sonia Lagarde said a 6pm to 6am curfew had helped ease some of the night-time violence, but “we are far from getting back to normal.”
“Despite all the calls for calm, the situation is not improving – in fact -” she said, describing Noumea as “under siege”.
“The damage is incredible…It’s a scene of devastation.”
For almost a week, violence has roiled the normally calm coastal town. Two military police and three indigenous Kanak people were also killed.
The causes of the unrest have been blamed on economic downturn, social tensions, and, above all, political struggles between pro-independence activists, mainly indigenous, and the Paris authorities.
Violence erupted on Monday, sparked by Paris’ plans to impose new voting rules that could give tens of thousands of non-Indigenous residents the right to vote. Pro-independence groups say that would weaken the vote of the indigenous Kanak people, who make up about 40% of the population.
Despite the Paris government imposing a state of emergency in the area and adding hundreds of security forces, residents say the violence continues to make it dangerous to go out.
In the city’s Magenta district, AFP reporters saw vehicles and buildings set on fire and riot police working to reconquer the scene. On Friday night, residents reported hearing gunshots, helicopters and a “massive explosion” caused by gas canisters exploding inside the burning building.
On Saturday, hundreds of heavily armed French soldiers and police patrolled the rubble-filled streets of Nouméa.
The violence prompted French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to remove New Caledonia from the globetrotting itinerary of the Olympic flame, which will slowly make its way to Paris for the opening ceremony on July 26.
Local business organizations have estimated the cost of the violence centered around Nouméa at 200 million euros, but the damage to the island’s reputation could be even greater.
Tourism is one of New Caledonia’s most profitable sectors, but the closure of Nouméa International Airport has left an estimated 3,200 tourists and travelers stranded on and off the islands.
An Australian family stranded in the capital told Reuters they were rationing food while they waited for a way out of the Pacific island territory.
“The children are definitely hungry because they don’t have a lot of options as to what they can eat,” João Elias told Reuters by phone.
Elias, who has been in the territory with her husband and four children since May 10, said she was told to fill her bathtub with water in case the water ran out as food stocks dwindled. Told.
“We don’t know how long we’re going to be here,” she said, adding her family is among about 30 Australians stranded at local resorts. he added.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra was “working with the French and New Caledonian authorities and like-minded partners, including New Zealand, to assess options for Australians to leave safely.”
Aircalin plans to resume flights on Tuesday, when Tontouta Airport is scheduled to reopen, but Aircalin has no plans to fly for the time being.
The New Caledonian government said on Friday that the island has two months’ worth of food in stock, but there are problems with distribution.
French officials said the operation to provide food and medicine to the general public would begin with teams including demining experts removing road barricades set up by activists.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report.
