Macron says French troops will stay in New Caledonia ‘as long as necessary’
Al Jazeera
France’s president is visiting the Pacific territory where electoral reform plans have fuelled the worst unrest in more than 30 years.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said French soldiers will remain in New Caledonia “as long as necessary” after more than a week of unrest triggered by French plans to change electoral rules in the Pacific island territory.
Macron arrived in New Caledonia’s capital Noumea on Thursday, amid continuing protests over voting reforms the Indigenous Kanak people say would dilute their vote and undermine their struggle for independence.
The reforms would allow French people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years or more to vote in New Caledonia’s provincial elections.
About 3,000 soldiers have been sent from Paris since the violence began and could stay until the Olympic Games in Paris, which begin on July 26, Macron said.
Six people, including three young Kanaks, have been killed and about 280 people arrested since the protests broke out and a state of emergency was declared.
