French President Emmanuel Macron has granted permission for Pacific Island leaders to visit the French territory of New Caledonia to assess the ongoing civil unrest between indigenous
Kanaks and French loyalists.
Mark Brown, Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum and Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, announced that a letter from Macron had been received by the Forum on Friday, confirming that a delegation of three leaders aims to visit New Caledonia in August.
"France has approved and supported the visit," Brown stated during a media conference in Fiji. He added that the visit is expected to occur before the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, which begins on August 26.
Brown emphasized the importance of addressing the situation delicately, acknowledging the sensitive political dynamics at play. "Our primary goal as a forum is to reduce the violence that has occurred over the past few months and to advocate for dialogue as the path forward," he said.
In response to the unrest, France has deployed hundreds of police officers to New Caledonia, where independence activists have disrupted traffic and movement with roadblocks.
The delegation will be led by Brown, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, and either Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni or Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
The civil unrest in New Caledonia began in May over voting reforms. Indigenous Kanaks fear that the reforms will weaken their voting power and make it more difficult for any future independence referendum to succeed. Meanwhile, Paris argues that the reforms are necessary to enhance democracy in the territory.
In June, protest leader Christian Tein was arrested and deported to France. Photo by Torbenbrinker, Wikimedia commons.