Local authorities say five suspects are under house arrest as they move to try to restore calm.
France has declared a state of emergency in its Pacific island territory of New Caledonia and sent police and military reinforcements in a bid to end days of unrest over Paris’ decision to change the rules governing provincial elections.
Three indigenous Kanak people and a police officer were killed in the violence that broke out on Monday night and continued despite a nighttime curfew. Hundreds of people were injured.
The state of emergency came into force at 05:00 on Thursday (18:00 GMT on Wednesday) and gives authorities broad search and arrest powers.
The high commission, which represents the French state in New Caledonia, said in a statement that five people had been placed under house arrest as “alleged sponsors of the violent disturbances” and that more searches would take place “in the coming hours”.
More than 200 “rioters” were arrested, he added.
Authorities are “determined to quickly restore public order and take all necessary measures to protect the people of New Caledonia”, the statement said.
A contingent of troops was on its way to Marseille to help protect New Caledonia’s international airport, which has been closed since the beginning of the week, as well as its ports.
The state of emergency will be in effect for 12 days.
Controversial reform
Anger has been simmering for weeks over plans to amend the French constitution to allow people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in the territory’s provincial elections, diluting a 1998 agreement that limited voting rights.
Many Kanak indigenous peoples, who represent around 40% of the territory’s almost 300,000 inhabitants, fear that the measure will harm their position in the territory.
This week’s violence occurred as the National Assembly voted in Paris to adopt the measure. It is necessary to convene a joint session of the National Assembly and the Senate for the new rules to come into force because they represent a constitutional change.
New Caledonia, which is about 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia, was colonized by France in the 19th century.
The last serious outbreak of unrest in the 1980s led to the 1998 agreement, known as the Noumea Agreement, promising greater autonomy, as well as three referendums on independence.
In all three, most recently in December 2021, voters chose to remain part of France.
Pro-independence parties boycotted the final referendum because it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating and disproportionate impact on the Kanak community.
There are large disparities in wealth between the Kanaks and people of European descent. Around 40,000 people have moved from France to New Caledonia since the 1998 agreement.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
