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RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
French court postpones release of Kanak leader following appeal
Christian Téin Photo: LNC A Parisian appellate court has delayed the release of New Caledonia's Kanak pro-independence leader, Christian Téin, from custody following an appeal by prosecutors. Téin, 57, is the head of a Field Action Coordinating Cell (CCAT), a group created late 2023 by New Caledonia's largest and oldest pro-independence party Union Calédonienne. From October 2023 onward, the CCAT organised a series of marches and demonstrations that later degenerated (starting 13 May 2024) into months of civil unrest, arson and looting, causing 14 dead and an estimated €2.2 billion in material damage, mainly in the Greater Nouméa area. Since his arrest in June 2024 and his transfer (with others) by plane from New Caledonia to mainland France, Téin has been jailed in Mulhouse (north-eastern France). Late August 2024, Téin, from his Mulhouse jail, was also nominated, in absentia, president of the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), of which the Union Calédonienne party is a dominant member. In January 2025, the case, initially investigated out of Nouméa, was removed from the former investigating judges in Nouméa and transferred to a panel of three Paris judges. Téin's lawyers said they welcomed the "new approach" by the Paris judges. In a ruling last week, three magistrates found that following Téin's latest hearing, on 27 May 2025, found no sufficient grounds to keep him in custody. They decided that the Kanak leader should be released from jail, but that he should be kept under judicial supervision and prevented from returning to New Caledonia or interfering with persons related to the case. In response, the prosecution immediately appealed the ruling. The Parisian Appellate Court will now hear the case on 12 June. Nicolas Metzdorf Photo: LNC Reacting to the latest ruling to postpone hearings until 12 June, one prominent and anti-independence leader in New Caledonia, Nicolas Metzdorf (who is also an MP for New Caledonia at the French National Assembly), said he was concerned that Téin's "untimely" release could "upset the balances" of political talks currently underway to find a consensus between all political parties regarding New Caledonia's future. "I think what we need above all is serenity, calm and people who are willing to build," Metzdorf told public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie La Première on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron Photo: AFP / POOL / JEANNE ACCORSINI The talks between all New Caledonia's political groupings, both pro-France and pro-independence, resumed early 2025, fostered by French minister for overseas Emmanuel Valls. Even though Valls managed to bring back all sides to the same political table, the talks once again stalled on 8 May, after an attempted "conclave" in New Caledonia. This was mainly because prominent anti-independence parties strongly objected to Valls' proposal to introduce a "sovereignty with France", including the transfer of key powers from Paris to Nouméa, a dual Kanak/French citizenship and an international standing. Since then, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his intention to convene all parties once again, this time in Paris in early July, for fresh talks. On 30 May, one of the pro-independence leaders who was also transferred to France last year, could return home to New Caledonia. Frédérique Muliava , a former Congress staffer, was part of a group of six who were charged in relation to the May 2024 riots. Under her new judicial requirements, set out by the judge in charge of the case, Muliava, once she returns to New Caledonia, is allowed to return to work, but is not to make any contact with other individuals related to her case and not to take part in any public demonstration.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
French politicians in New Caledonia this week
Leader of Rassemblement National (RN), Marine Le Pen in New Caledonia. Photo: Marine Le Pen Facebook French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory's future remains undecided. This week, leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively, are in the French Pacific territory. They expressed their respective views with regards to New Caledonia's political, economic and social situation, one year after insurrectional riots broke out in May 2024. Since then, latest attempts to hold political talks between all stakeholders and France have been met with fluctuating responses, but the latest round of discussions, earlier this month, ended in a stalemate . This was because hard-line pro-France parties considered the project of a "sovereignty with France", brought forward by French minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, was not acceptable, because three self-determination referendums have been held in 2018, 2020 and 2021 and all of the three consultations resulted in a rejection of independence. The last referendum, in December 2021, was however largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement and its followers due to cultural concerns around covid-19. The pro-France camp is accusing Valls of siding with the pro-independence FLNKS bloc and other more moderate parties such as PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Union Progressiste en Mélanésie), who want independence from France, albeit at varying degrees. Valls is considering transferring key French powers to New Caledonia, introducing a double French/New Caledonian citizenship and an international standing. The pro-France camp is adamant that this ignores the three no votes. Speaking to a crowd of several hundred supporters in Nouméa on Tuesday evening, Bellamy said he now favoured going ahead with modifying conditions of eligibility for voters at local provincial elections. The same attempts to change the locked local electoral roll - which is restricted to people residing in New Caledonia from before November 1998 - was widely perceived as the main cause for the May 2024 riots, which left 14 dead. Bellamy said giving in to violence that erupted last year was out of the question, because it was "an attempt to topple a democratic process". Les Républicains, to which the Rassemblement-LR local party is affiliated, is one of the major parties in the French Parliament. Its newly-elected president Bruno Retailleau is the Minister for Home Affairs in French President Emmanuel Macron's coalition government. Bellamy told a crowd of supporters in Nouméa that in his view, the decolonisation process prescribed by the 1998 Nouméa Accord "is now over". "New Caledonians have democratically decided, three times, that they belong to France. And this should be respected," he told a crowd during a political rally. In Nouméa, Bellamy said if the three referendum results were ignored as part of a future political agreement, then LR could go as far as pulling out of the French government. Marine Le Pen, this week, also expressed her views on New Caledonia's situation, saying instead of focusing on New Caledonia's institutional future, the priority should be placed on its economy, which is still reeling from the devastation caused during the 2024 riots. The efforts included diversifying the economy. A Paris court convicted Le Pen and two dozen (RN) party members of embezzling EU funds last month, and imposed a sentence that will prevent her from standing in France's 2027 presidential election unless she can get the ruling overturned within 18 months. The high-profile visits to New Caledonia from mainland French leaders come within two years of France's scheduled presidential elections. And it looks like New Caledonia could become a significant issue in the pre-poll debates and campaign. LFI (La France Insoumise), a major party in the French Parliament, and its caucus leader Mathilde Panot also visited New Caledonia from 9-17 May, this time mainly focusing on supporting the pro-independence camp's views. On Tuesday 27 May, the French President's office issued a brief statement indicating that it had decided to convene "all stakeholders" to fresh talks in Paris some time in mid-June. The talks would aim at "clarifying" New Caledonia's economic, political and institutional situation with a view to "reach a shared agreement". Depending on New Caledonia's often opposing political camps, Macron's announcement is perceived either as a dismissal of Valls' approach or a mere continuation of the overseas minister's efforts, but at a higher level. New Caledonia's pro-France parties, on their side, are adamant that Macron's proposal is entirely new and that it signifies Valls' approach has been disavowed at the highest level. Minister for Overseas France Manuel Valls, former congress president Roch Wamytan, RDO president and founder Aloisio Sako. Photo: Delphine Mayeur / Hans Lucas / AFP Valls himself wrote to New Caledonia's political stakeholders last weekend, insisting on the need to pursue talks through a so-called "follow-up committee". It is not clear whether the "follow-up committee" format is what Macron has in mind. But at the weekend, Valls made statements on several French national media outlets, stressing that he was still the one in charge of New Caledonia's case. "The one who is taking care of New Caledonia's case, at the request of French Prime Minister François Bayrou, that's me and no one else," Valls told French National news channel LCI on 25 May. "I'm not being disavowed by anyone." Most parties have since reacted swiftly to Macron's call, saying they were ready to take part in further discussions. Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said this was "necessary to clarify the French state's position". She said the clarification was needed, since Valls, during his last visit, "offered an independence solution that goes way beyond what the pro-independence camp was even asking". Local pro-France figure and New Caledonia's elected MP at the French National Assembly, Nicolas Metzdorf, met Macron in Paris on Friday last week. He said at the time that an "initiative" from the French president was to be expected. Pro-independence bloc FLNKS, on its part, said Valls' proposal, nothing lower, was now "the foundation stone". Spokesman Dominique Fochi said the invitation is however scheduled to be discussed at a special FLNKS convention at the weekend. A woman in Paris carries a placard with the text '170 years of French colonisation is enough. Independence for New Caledonia and support for the Kanak people'. Photo: AFP / Eric Broncard/Hans Lucas Because of the signals it sends, New Caledonia's proposed political future plans are also causing concern in other French overseas territories, including their elected MPs in Paris. In the French Senate on Wednesday (28 May), French Polynesia's MP Lana Tetuanui, who is pro-France, asked during question time for French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noël Barrot to explain what France was doing in the Pacific region, in the face of growing influence from such major powers as China. She told the minister she still had doubts, "unless of course France is considering sinking its own aircraft carrier ships named New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis-and-Futuna". French president Emmanuel Macron is this week on a south-east Asian tour that takes him to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, where he will be the keynote speaker of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. He delivers his speech on Friday local time to mark the opening of the 22nd edition of the Dialogue, Asia's premier defence summit. The event brings together defence ministers, military leaders and senior defence officials, as well as business leaders and security experts, from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond to discuss critical security and geopolitical challenges. More specifically on the Pacific region, Macron also said one of France's future challenges included speeding up efforts to "build a new strategy in New Caledonia and French Polynesia". As part of Macron's Indo-Pacific doctrine, developed since 2017, France has earlier this year deployed significant forces in the region, including its naval and air strike group and its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle . The multinational exercise, codenamed "Clémenceau 25", involved joint exercises with allied forces from Australia, Japan and the United States.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Can New Caledonia gain independence from France?
The story so far: A high-stakes attempt by French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls to broker a new political accord for New Caledonia collapsed on May 8, plunging the French Pacific territory into profound uncertainty. What is its current status? For decades, New Caledonia, a French island territory of approximately 2,71,400 people in the southwest Pacific Ocean, has been on a complex journey regarding its status. The 1998 Nouméa Accord, born from a history of colonial tensions and a near civil war in the 1980s, explicitly recognised the 'trauma' inflicted upon the indigenous Kanak people. It also led to three referendums on independence, in 2018, 2020 and 2021, of New Caledonia from France. While all three rejected independence, the final vote was boycotted by pro-independence parties and its legitimacy has been contested. Why is independence still a demand? New Caledonia's modern history began with its seizure by France as a penal colony in 1853. Despite attempts to ease colonial rule, such as granting French citizenship to all inhabitants in 1957, deep divisions persisted, culminating in the 1984-1988 conflict. The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) emerged during this period as a powerful political force, advocating for complete independence. The 1998 Nouméa Accord was a landmark compromise. It established a unique sui generis status for New Caledonia within the French Republic. It granted the territory significant autonomy, including its own Congress with law-making powers, and incorporated 'New Caledonian citizenship' which restricted voting rights to long-term residents, a key provision for Kanak political representation. However, due to the FLNKS boycott of the last independence referendum, over COVID-19 and customary mourning periods, the final solution to New Caledonia remained uncertain. Why did recent talks fail? The period following the contested 2021 referendum was marked by heightened tension, which exploded in May 2024 over a French proposal to 'unfreeze' the electoral roll (to change rules which restrict voting rights to only long-term residents). The ensuing riots, the worst in decades, resulted in 14 deaths, and hundreds injured. In this volatile context, the French government, through Mr. Valls, intensified efforts to find a 'third way' — a new institutional status that could offer a form of sovereignty without complete traditional independence. Mr. Valls's mission aimed to facilitate dialogue between FLNKS and loyalist factions towards such a consensual outcome. The concept of 'sovereignty in partnership' became central. This envisioned New Caledonia gaining enhanced international recognition and control over most aspects of governance such as the judiciary, but with an immediate, negotiated delegation of the exercise of these powers back to France. However, this path was abruptly blocked on May 8. During the negotiations, the proposal was decisively rejected by hardline loyalist factions in the island. They deemed the 'sovereignty in partnership' model as tantamount to disguised independence. Instead, these loyalist groups proposed a form of partition, with the pro-independence North and Loyalty Islands provinces having an association status, while the wealthier, loyalist-majority South Province would remain fully French. This solution was found unacceptable to both the French state, which upholds New Caledonia's indivisibility, and the independents who called this 'paramount to apartheid'. The failure of the talks has significantly amplified the obstacles. The immediate challenge is the upcoming provincial elections, due by November 2025, which will now proceed without a prior political agreement on the territory's future. Franciszek Snarski is an intern at The Hindu.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
New Caledonia's Political Talks: No Outcome After Three Days Of 'Conclave'
, Correspondent French Pacific Desk After three solid days of talks in retreat mode, New Caledonia's political parties have yet to reach an agreement on the French Pacific territory's future status. The talks, held with French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls and French Prime Minister's special advisor Eric Thiers, have since Monday moved from Nouméa to a seaside resort in Bourail - West coast of the main island, about 200 kilometres away from the capital - in what has been labelled a "conclave", a direct reference to this week's meeting of Catholic cardinals in Rome. However, the Bourail conclave is yet to produce any kind of white smoke, and no one, as yet, claims "Habemus Pactum" to say that an agreement has been reached. Under heavy security, representatives of both pro-France and pro-independence parties are being kept in isolation and are supposed to stay there until a compromise is found to define New Caledonia's political future, and an agreement that would later serve as the basis for a pact designed to replace the Nouméa Accord that was signed in 1998. The talks were supposed to conclude on Wednesday, but it has been confirmed that the discussions were going to last longer, at least one more day, probably well into the night. Valls was initially scheduled to fly back to Paris on Thursday, but it has also been confirmed that he will stay longer. Almost one year after civil unrest broke out in New Caledonia on 13 May 2024, leaving 14 dead and causing €2.2 billion in damages, the talks involve pro-France Les Loyalistes, Le Rassemblement, Calédonie Ensemble and pro-independence FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), UNI-PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party). Éveil Océanien, a Wallisian-based party, defends a "neither pro, nor against independence" line, what it calls a "third way". The talks, over the past few days, have been described as "tense but respectful", with some interruptions at times. The most sensitive issues among the numerous topics covered by the talks on New Caledonia's future, are reported to be the question of New Caledonia's future status and its future relationship to France. Other sensitive topics include New Caledonia's future citizenship and the transfer of remaining key powers (defence, law and order, currency, foreign affairs, justice) from Paris to Nouméa. Valls, who is visiting New Caledonia for the third time since February 2025, said he would stay in New Caledonia "as long as necessary" for an inclusive and comprehensive agreement to be reached. Earlier this week, Valls also likened the current situation as "walking on a tightrope above embers." "The choice is between an agreement and chaos," he told local media. On both sides of the discussion table, local parties have all stated earlier that bearing in mind their respective demands, they were "not ready to sign at all costs." The most hard-line pro-independence views, from FLNKS, are demanding full sovereignty while on the pro-France side, the line is to consider that link as unquestionable, after three referendums were held there between 2018 and 2021. Valls's approach was still trying to reconcile those two very antagonistic views, often described as "irreconcilable". "But the thread is not broken. Only more time is required", local media quoted a close source as saying. Last week, an earlier session of talks in Nouméa had to be interrupted due to severe frictions and disagreement from the pro-France side. Speaking to public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday, Rassemblement leader Virginie Ruffenach elaborated, saying "there had been profound elements of disagreements on a certain number of words uttered by the Minister (Valls)". One of the controversial concepts, strongly opposed by the most radical pro-French parties, was a possible transfer of key powers from Paris to Nouméa, as part of a possible agreement. "In what was advanced, the land of New Caledonia would no longer be a French land", Ruffenach stressed on Sunday, adding this was "unacceptable" to her camp. She also said the two main pro-France parties were opposed to any notion of "independence-association". "Neither Rassemblement, nor Les Loyalistes will sign for New Caledonia's independence, let this be very clear". The pro-France camp is advocating for increased powers (including on tax matters) for each of the three provinces of New Caledonia, a solution sometimes regarded by critics as a form of partition of the French Pacific territory. In a media release on Sunday, FLNKS "reaffirmed goal was Kanaky (New Caledonia's) accession to full sovereignty". Series of fateful anniversaries On the general public level, a feeling of high expectations, but also wariness, seems to prevail at the news that discussions were still inconclusive. In 1988, the Matignon-Oudinot peace talks between pro-independence leader at the time, Jean-Marie Tjibaou and pro-France leader Jacques Lafleur, were also held, in their final stage, in Paris, behind closed doors, under the close supervision of French Prime Minister, Socialist Michel Rocard. The present crucial talks also coincide with a series of fateful anniversaries in New Caledonia's recent history: on 5 May 1988, French special forces ended a hostage situation and intervened on Ouvéa Island in the Gossana grotto, where a group of hard-line pro-independent militants had kept a group of French gendarmes. The human toll was heavy: 19 Kanak militants and 2 gendarmes were killed. On 4 May 1989, one year after the Matignon-Oudinot peace accords were signed, Jean-Marie Tjibaou and his deputy Yeiwene Yeiwene were gunned down by hard-line pro-independence Kanak Djubelly Wea. Valls attended most of these commemoration ceremonies, at the weekend. On 5 May 1998, the Nouméa Accord, now aged 27, was signed between New Caledonia's parties and then French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The Nouméa pact, which is often regarded as a de facto Constitution, was placing a particular stress on the notions of "re-balancing" economic wealth, a "common destiny" for all ethnic communities "living together" and a gradual transfer of powers from Paris to Nouméa. The Accord also prescribed that if three self-determination referendums (initially scheduled between 2014 and 2018) had produced three rejections (in the form of "no"), then all political stakeholders were supposed to "meet and examine the situation thus generated". The current talks aimed at arriving at a new document, which was destined to replace the ageing Nouméa Accord and bring New Caledonia closer to having its own Constitution. Valls said he was determined to "finalise New Caledonia's decolonisation" process.
Epoch Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
French Negotiator Says New Caledonia at Risk of Civil War
French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls arrived in New Caledonia a month ago for the second round of talks between the French government and local Kanak leaders to map out the island's political future. Last time, he was there between Feb. 22 and March 1, and this time he has vowed to remain until an agreement is reached. It comes in the wake of the deadly riots in 2024, where roads were blocked and businesses set alight by protesters, and both Kanak rebels and French gendarmes were killed. During his first visit, Valls managed to get pro- and anti-independence groups to agree to talks, the first time that had happened since 2021. He then published what he called ' Despite that progress, he repeated that the situation on the ground remained serious. Related Stories 5/27/2024 5/14/2024 'We are walking on a tightrope above embers,' he told a panel of French journalists before his most recent visit. While his main concerns are New Caledonia's economic situation, Valls is also worried about the tense atmosphere, a resurgence in 'racism [and] hatred,' the rapid deterioration in public health services, and the rise in poverty caused by an increasing number of jobless. 'All these risks are there, and that is why it is everyone's responsibility to find an agreement,' he said. 'And I will stay as long as needed, and I will put all my energy so that an agreement takes place. 'Not for me, for them.' He said he hoped a revised version of the draft document, resulting from discussions during his previous visits and new proposals from the French government, would provide an admittedly 'difficult path' that could help reconcile the two sides. 'If there is no agreement, then economic and political uncertainty can lead to a new disaster, to confrontation, and to civil war,' he said. 'That is why I have appealed several times to all political stakeholders, those for and against independence. Everyone must take a step towards each other. An agreement is indispensable.' Neither Side Appears Willing to Shift Despite his warning, the pro- and anti-independence movements haven't signalled any shift from their previous, intractable positions. The pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) held a convention to decide whether to attend the second round of talks. They eventually agreed but did not refer to the meeting as 'negotiations,' only 'discussions.' The convention also reaffirmed its demands for a 'Kanaky Agreement' to be signed by Sept. 24, 2025, followed by a five-year transition period. That agreement plots a path toward full sovereignty. Several groups on the pro-France side point to the three referenda held between 2018 and 2021, all of which rejected full sovereignty, even though the pro-independence camp largely boycotted the last consultation. That, they say, should be the starting point for any final agreement. Les Loyalistes Party leader Sonia Backès told a public rally last week that they had refused to talk about a date for yet another referendum. 'A new referendum would mean civil war,' she said. 'And we don't want to fix the date for civil war.' However, she said they 'still want to believe in an agreement.' 'We're part of all discussions on seeking solutions in a constructive and creative spirit.'
