Latest news with #Nouméa
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Former Congress staffer allowed to return to New Caledonia
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 One of seven people transferred to mainland France almost a year ago, following the May 2024 riots in New Caledonia, has been allowed to return home, a French court has ruled. 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. Four days after their arrest in Nouméa in June 2024, Muliava and six others were transferred to mainland France aboard a specially-chartered plane. They were charged with criminal-related offences (including being a party or being accomplice to murder attempts and thefts involving the use of weapons) and have since been remanded in several prisons pending their trial. In January 2025, the whole case was removed from the jurisdiction of New Caledonia-based judges and has since been transferred back to investigating judges in mainland France.
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
New Caledonia's political future 'not a Pacific problem' - 'It's our own', says Ponga
The president of the government of New Caledonia says that "meddling in our domestic political affairs" is not welcome. Speaking to RNZ Pacific from Nouméa on the one-year anniversary of last year's deadly civil unrest , Alcide Ponga said he wanted to remind Pacific leaders that the ongoing political situation is a matter between France and the people of its overseas Pacific territory. He emphasised the importance of New Caledonia maintaining a relationship with the whole region, particularly in areas such as the economy, culture and politics. "However, I do not have [an] objective to come and criticise the politics in New Zealand. Please don't criticise what happened in New Caledonia between the Caledonian people and France," he said. "It's our own problem. It's not a Pacific problem." Alcide Ponga, President of the 18th government of New Caledonia, speaks to the media following his election by members of the government, in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia in Noumea on 8 January 2025. Photo: AFP / Delphine Mayeur He cited the Cook Islands' recent engagements with China as an example of why the French territory needs to maintain its ties with Paris. The Cook Islands, a self-governing nation in "free association" with New Zealand, signed a comprehensive strategic agreement with Beijing, including a five-year agreement for seabed mineral exploration and research. The move sparked a diplomatic dispute between Avarua and Wellington, putting a spotlight on constitutional tensions between the two nations. France's Overseas Minister Manuel Valls has suggested a resolution - similar to the Cook Islands' relationship with New Zealand - for New Caledonia to have "independence-association" with France . The proposal raised the hopes of pro-independence groups, but talks collapsed after the political stakeholders could not agree to a deal. French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, left, and New Caledonia President Alcide Ponga sign loan for €1 billion. 29 March 2025. Photo: Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Calédonie Ponga believes China's influence is the "main risk" to New Caledonia if Valls's proposal goes ahead. "You know, New Zealand and Cook Islands, maybe Cook Island is not independent, but the Cook Islands decided to discuss with China," Ponga said. "It is the main risk for us if we are going ahead in the association or partnership [arrangement with France]. If you want to put in place partnership or association with friends, you have to be independent." Addressing the issue of independence from France, he said: "It's not an obligation to become independent," adding that "for me, you have a lot of option" on the issue of decolonisation. Ponga said New Caledonians voted three times - referring to the independence referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021 (boycotted by the majority of the Kanak population) - to remain with France. He said the "democratic choice" of the people must be respected. "The main objective is to make the Kanak people free in their decolonisation, for me, it's in the mind." "'I'm Kanak. I don't think I'm a colonised guy. I'm free in my mind. "I know that we have to maybe pursue the process to make all [Kanak] population think that we are not colonised by France. "But majority of Caledonian people don't want to become independent." Riot damages in Nouméa's Ducos industrial zone - Photo LNC Photo: LNC Unrest erupted in New Caledonia on 13 May 2024, triggered by a proposed change to the local government electoral roll to allow more non-indigenous people to vote, which pro-independence groups feared would dilute the political power of the indigenous Kanak population. The riots and unrest which dragged on for months resulted in 14 deaths and €2.2 billion in damages to the economy. Twelve months on, the violence has been brought under control, but there is still no solution in sight for the French territory's political future Ponga, an anti-independence politician who came into power in January, said it is time for everyone to "roll their sleeves up" and build back New Caledonia's economy. His aim, he said, is to try and help to create safe New Caledonia and avoid it from descending into the sight of another civil unrest. He said he has big issues to tackle in "a very short time" in office but he knows where to start. "I arrived here in January, and maybe I will push out from here in November [when the local government elections are scheduled]. "The first thing we have to do is to create the economic environment to rebuild, to restart the machine, to try to push the mining operation to come back, and to bring [employment] for all Caledonian people. "To ensure that if we don't find agreement, to make sure that we don't dispute and create the trouble [for] our population "Go ahead slowly but surely, and to find one good way for everybody." Charles Wea Photo: Supplied/Mathurin Durel An advisor to Louis Mapou, Ponga's predecessor, told RNZ Pacific that the question of New Caledonia's political future has regional implications. "The Pacific Island Forum (PIF) countries need to continue to support New Caledonia to become fully sovereign," Charles Wea, who is a member of UNI - PALIKA (Party of Kanak Liberation), said, which is a fundamentally different position to Ponga. He said this was the request from Forum member countries, as well as the Melanesian Spearhead Group. "The stability of New Caledonia will also impact the stability for the region," Wea said. "We are happy that a different French government now is taking another step to serve New Caledonia into the process of decolonisation. He said the French government proposed "full sovereignty with partnership with France" during the political talks. "However, the loyalists (anti-independence parties) say that New Caledonia cannot become independent because of the three referendums," Wea said. But Ponga, the president of Le Rassemblement (The Rally), said a fourth referendum "is not logical" and made it clear that he will not support another referendum. "The cycle is finished. Now [it is] our responsibility - pro- and anti-independence parties and the French State - to find to find the good way for everybody," he said. "This position of UNI has come on the table because we, all together, didn't reach our objective to find an agreement. "The French minister arrived here and propose [to] us whatever you call this form of independence, association or partnership, it's independence. Melanesian Spearhead Group flags Photo: RNZ Pacific / Kelvin Anthony Pacific leaders have already expressed their views on New Caledonia and the Kanak peoples aspirations for full sovereignty from France. "Politically and morally we support the independence of New Caledonia," former Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai told RNZ Pacific previously. Tuvalu MP Simon Kofe said, "We need to continue to support the decolonisation of the Pacific." While Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who spoke with RNZ Pacific the day before heading to New Caledonia as part of the Pacific Islands Forum mission, said, "Don't slap the hand that has fed you." "Have a good disassociation arrangement when you become independent, make sure you part as friends." In Japan last year, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said, "Pacific Islands Forum countries by virtue of our locations and histories understand the large indigenous minority population's desire for self-determination. "We also deeply respect and appreciate France's role in the region and understand France's desire to walk together with New Caledonians towards a prosperous and secure future."
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
A year after deadly riots, New Caledonia's president vows to address push for independence
One year after the deadly riots that ravaged Nouméa and shattered New Caledonia's economy and social fabric, newly elected president Alcide Ponga faces a series of challenges including deep division over the territory's political future – and the prospect of independence from France. Ponga, who was elected in January is an indigenous Kanak who is also anti-independence. The 49-year-old former nickel executive and mayor has vowed to get the economy back on track and support discussions on independence. 'We need to find a way out. We haven't spoken to each other for years, since the [independence] referendums. Now we're talking again. Everyone is aware of what's at stake,' Ponga said. New Caledonia is a territory of France which lies in the Pacific Ocean. Ponga leads the Le Rassemblement party which wants to keep New Caledonia within France. 'Being president wasn't necessarily what I wanted. But I was appointed to solve problems. I take them one by one, without any preconceptions,' said the native of Kouaoua, a small mining village on the archipelago's east coast, where he had been mayor since 2014 before becoming president this year. In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian to mark the anniversary of the unrest, Ponga discussed the independence debate, economic crisis and how to rebuild the vital nickel industry. Ponga also said New Caledonia can play a bigger role in the region, and hopes to develop relationships with partners like Australia and New Zealand. The unrest that broke out in the archipelago in May 2024 was sparked by French plans to change voting rules and inflamed tensions among Indigenous Kanak communities, who make up about 41% of the population. Fourteen people, mostly Kanak, were killed and the riots caused an estimated $2.4bn (€2.2bn) in damage. The crucial nickel industry and other businesses were severely disrupted and unemployment levels surged. One in five workers lost all or part of their income due to the riots and many remain unemployed. Since the unrest broke out, more than 10,000 people have left the territory. For a region with a population of about 270,000, the drain has serious consequences. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses, and health services are under severe stress. 'We all need to face up to our responsibilities for what has happened and look to the future,' Ponga said. 'Even if calm has returned, without real economic recovery and tax reforms, we're dead. That's what my government is going to do,' he said. A path toward independence continues to divide the population and the political conversation on the topic remains tense. Under the terms of the Nouméa Accord, signed in 1998, Caledonians have had three referendums on independence from France. The referendums held in 2018, 2020 and 2021 all received 'no' votes – but results of the last referendum are disputed by the pro-independence movement. Manuel Valls, the French Minister for overseas territories, visited Nouméa in April and May, with the hope of reaching an agreement between supporters of independence and pro-France figures on the road ahead. Valls left the territory last week without striking a new deal. Certain proposals were seen as an open door to independence and provoked anger from pro-France supporters including Ponga, who took part in the crucial discussions. Chosen by the party of loyalists to France to represent them, Ponga remains confident in New Caledonian's ability to reach an agreement in months ahead. Ponga says that in the 1970s, the territory's elder were all in agreement. 'They wanted to get things moving so they could take charge of their lives, that was their emancipation strategy. You don't have to be an independentist to want to take responsibility for yourself. I'm not an independentist, but I'm still a Kanak.' 'Then the question of independence came along and blocked everything, and since then we've spent our time dancing around the table without doing anything.' Reviving a weak economy remains one of Ponga's most immediate challenges. Nickel is the lifeblood of the archipelago's economy yet two of the country's three metallurgical plants remain idle. Nickel produced in New Caledonia accounts for about 8% of the world's reserves, according to a report by the Overseas Institution of Issue (Ieom). Ponga has a background as an executive in the nickel industry and says the territory's strategy toward this vital reserve has remained static and lacked flexibility. 'If we want to bring back investors, we're going to have to recreate the conditions of attractiveness. And that won't be possible without France,' he said. To run the country's affairs during his term of office, Ponga intends to rely on 'the three values I taught my children: work, work and work'. The president often refers to the land where he grew up, his roots. He proudly displays on his phone photos of his banana, yam and potato fields, where he and his children continue to work. He also sees an opportunity for New Caledonia's influence in the region. 'We have an important role to play,' he asserts, when previous loyalist presidents were not very keen on opening up to the region. 'We've neglected the Pacific and our Melanesian neighbours too much. Yet New Zealand, Australia and France are partners, and we need to take advantage of these links to develop our own axes of relationship, doing things at our own level.' 'We need to assume our responsibilities and project ourselves forward.'
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
New Caledonia tightens security following aborted political talks ahead of riots' first anniversary
French soldiers of the 8th Marine Infantry Regiment (8e RIMa) secure the Magenta airport in Noumea after France deployed troops to New Caledonia's ports and international airport after civil unrest erupted on 13 May 2024. (file image) Photo: Delphine Mayeur / AFP Fresh, stringent security measures have been imposed in New Caledonia following aborted political talks last week and ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly riots that broke out on 13 May 2024, which resulted in 14 deaths and €2.2 billion in damages. On Sunday, the French High Commission in Nouméa announced that from Monday 12 to Friday 15 May, all public marches and demonstrations will be banned in the Greater Nouméa Area. Restrictions will also be imposed on the sale of firearms, ammunition, and takeaway alcoholic drinks. The measures aim to "ensure public security". In the wake of the May 2024 civil unrest, a state of emergency and a curfew had been imposed and had since been gradually lifted. The decision also comes as "confrontations" between law enforcement agencies and violent groups took place mid-last week, especially in the township of Dumbéa - in the outskirts of Nouméa - where there were attempts to erect fresh roadblocks, High Commissioner Jacques Billant said. The clashes, including incidents of arson, stone-throwing and vehicles being set on fire, are reported to have involved a group of about fifty individuals and occurred near Médipôle, New Caledonia's main hospital, and a shopping mall. Clashes also occurred in other parts of New Caledonia, including outside the capital Nouméa. It adds another reason for the measures is the "anniversary date of the beginning of the 2024 riots". French Overseas Territories Minister Manuel Valls meets the press at the Haut-commissariat in Noumea to announce that no agreement has been reached between pro-independence and non-independence parties on the institutional future of New Caledonia at the end of 'conclave' discussions held at the Sheraton in Deva. Photo: AFP / Delphine Mayeur Additionally, French authorities have also announced that in relation to the riots' first anniversary, New Caledonia's law and order setup has been significantly increased until further notice. This included a total of 2600 officers from the Gendarmerie, police, as well as reinforcements from special elite SWAT squads and units equipped with 16 "Centaure" riot armoured vehicles. Drones are also part of the setup. The aim is to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy against "urban violence" through a permanent deployment "night and day", with a priority to stop any attempt to blockade roads, especially in the Greater Nouméa, to preserve freedom of movement. One particularly sensitive focus would be placed on the township of Saint-Louis in Mont-Dore often described as a pro-independence stronghold which was a hot spot and the scene of violent and deadly clashes at the height of the 2024 riots. "We'll be present wherever and whenever required. We are much stronger than we were in 2024," Billant told local media during a joint inspection with French gendarmes commander Nicolas Matthéos and Nouméa Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas. Dupas said, over the past few months, the bulk of criminal acts was regarded as "delinquency", nothing that could be likened to a coordinated preparation for fresh public unrest similar to last year's. Billant said depending on how the situation evolves in the next few days, he could also rely on additional "potential reinforcements" from mainland France. French High Commissioner Jacques Billant, Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas and Gendarmerie commander, General Nicolas Matthéos on 7 May 2025 - PHOTO Haut-Commissariat de la République en Nouvelle-Calédonie Photo: Supplied / Haut-Commissariat de la République en Nouvelle-Calédonie A New Zealand ANZAC war memorial in the small rural town of Boulouparis (West coast of the main island of Grande Terre) was found vandalised on Friday evening 9 May 2025. The monument, inaugurated just one year ago on last year's ANZAC Day to commemorate the sacrifice of New Zealand soldiers during World Wars in the twentieth century, was set alight by yet unidentified people, police said. Tyres were used to keep the fire burning. An investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident is currently underway, Nouméa public prosecutor's office said, invoking the charges of wilful damage. In the neighbouring Pacific, two of New Caledonia's main tourism source markets, Australia and New Zealand, are maintaining a high level or increased caution advisory. The main identified cause is an "ongoing risk of civil unrest". In its latest travel advisory, the Australian brief mentions, "Demonstrations and protests may increase in the days leading up to and on days of national or commemorative significance, including the anniversary of the start of civil unrest on 13 May. "Avoid demonstrations and public gatherings. Demonstrations and protests may turn violent at short notice." Pro-France political leaders at a post-conclave media conference in Nouméa. 8 May 2025 Photo: Supplied / RRB On Thursday, 8 May, French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, who had managed to gather all political parties around the same table for negotiations on New Caledonia's political future, finally left the French Pacific territory and admitted no agreement could be found at this stage. In the final stage of the talks, the "conclave" between 5 and 7 May, he had put on the table a project for New Caledonia's accession to a "sovereignty with France", a kind of independence in association with France. This option was not opposed by pro-independence groups, including the FLNKS (Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front). But the pro-France movement, in support of New Caledonia remaining a part of France, said it could not approve this. The main pillar of their argumentation remained that after three self-determination referendums held between 2018 and 2021, a majority of voters had rejected independence (even though the last referendum, in December 2021, was massively boycotted by the pro-independence camp). The anti-independence block had repeatedly stated that they would not accept any suggestion that New Caledonia could endorse a status bringing it closer to independence. New Caledonia's pro-France MP at the French National Assembly, Nicolas Metzdorf, told local media at this stage, his camp was de facto in opposition to Valls, "but not with the pro-independence camp". Metzdorf said a number of issues could very well be settled by talking to the pro-independence camp. This included the very sensitive issue of New Caledonia's electoral roll, and conditions of eligibility at the next provincial elections. Both Metzdorf and Backès also mentioned, during interviews with local media, that in the midst of their "conclave" negotiations, as Valls's "sovereignty with France" project became clearer, they have had contacts as high as the French President Emmanuel Macron, asking him whether he was aware of the plan and if he endorsed it. Another pro-France leader, Virginie Ruffenach (Le Rassemblement-Les Républicains), also confirmed she had similar exchanges, through her party Les Républicains, with French Minister of Home Affairs Bruno Retailleau, from the same right-wing party. As Minister of Home Affairs, Retailleau would have to be involved, at later stages, in the New Caledonian case. Since Valls's departure, reactions were still flowing at the weekend from across New Caledonia's political chessboard. "We have to admit frankly that no agreement was struck", Valls said last week during a media conference. "Maybe the minds were not mature yet", he added. But he said France would now appoint a "follow up committee" to keep working on the "positive points" already identified between all parties. During numerous press conferences and interviews, anti-independence leaders have consistently maintained that the draft compromise put to them by Minister Valls during the latest round of negotiations last week, was not acceptable. They said this was because it contained several elements of "independence-association", including the transfer of key powers from Paris to Nouméa, a project of "dual citizenship" and possibly a seat at the United Nations. "In proposing this solution, Minister (Valls) has biased and blocked the negotiations. So he has prevented the advent of an agreement", pro-France Les Loyalistes and Southern Province President leader Sonia Backès told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday. "For us, an independence association was out of the question because the majority of (New) Caledonians voted three time against independence", she stressed. Instead, the Le Rassemblement-LR and Les Loyalistes bloc was advocating a project that would provide more powers to each of the three provinces, including in terms of tax revenue collection. The project, often described as a de facto partition, however, was not retained in the latest phases of the negotiations, because it contravened France's constitutional principle of a united and indivisible nation. "But no agreement does not mean chaos", Backès said. On the contrary, she believes that by not agreeing to the French Minister's deal plan, her camp has "averted disaster for new Caledonia". "Tomorrow, there will be another another project", she said, implicitly betting on Valls's departure. On the pro-independence front, a moderate "UNI" (National Union For Independence) said a in a statement even though negotiations did not eventuate into a comprehensive agreement, the French State's commitment and method have allowed to offer "clear and transparent terms of negotiations on New Caledonia's institutional and political future". The main FLNKS group, mainly consisting of pro-independence Union Calédonienne (UC) party, also said even though no agreement could be found as a result of the latest round of talks, the whole project could be regarded as "advances" and "one more a failure" in New Caledonia's decolonisation, as specified in the 1998 Nouméa Accord, FLNKS chief negotiator and UC President Emmanuel Tjibaou said. Other parties involved in the talks, including Eveil Océanien and Calédonie Ensemble, have deplored the empty outcome of talks last week. They called it a "collective failure" and stressed that above all, reaching a consensual solution was the only way forward, and that the forthcoming elections and the preceding campaign could bear the risk of further radicalisation and potential violence. In the economic and business sector, the conclave's inconclusive outcome has brought more anxiety and uncertainty. "What businesses need, now, is political stability, confidence. But without a political agreement that many of us were hoping for, the confidence and visibility is not there, there's no investment", New Caledonia's MEDEF-NC (Business Leaders Union) Vice-President Bertrand Courte told NC La Première. As a result of the May 2024 riots, over six hundred businesses, mainly in Nouméa, have been destroyed, causing the loss of over ten thousand jobs. Over the past 12 months, New Caledonia GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has shrunk by an estimated ten to fifteen percent, according to the latest figures produced by New Caledonia statistical institute ISEE. As no agreement was found, the next course of action for New Caledonia was to hold provincial elections no later than 30 November 2025, under the existing system, which still restricts the list of persons eligible to vote at those local elections. The makeup of the "electoral roll" for local polls was the very issue that triggered the May 2024 riots, as the French Parliament, at the time, had endorsed a Constitutional amendment to push through opening the list. At the time, the pro-independence camp argued the changes to eligibility conditions would eventually "dilute" their votes and make indigenous Kanaks a minority in their own country. The Constitutional bill was abandoned after the May 2024 rots. The sensitive issue remains part of the comprehensive pact that Valls had been working on for the past four months. The provincial elections are crucial in that they also determine, by way of proportional trickle-down effect, the makeup of New Caledonia's Congress and, in turn, of its government and President. The provincial elections, initially scheduled to take place in May 2024, and later in December 2024, and finally no later than 30 November 2025, were already postponed twice. Even if the provincial elections are held later this year (depending on a decision from the French government, under the current "frozen" rules), the pro-independence camp has already announced it would contest its result. According to the pro-independence camp, the current restrictions on New Caledonia's electoral roll contradict democratic principles and have to be "unfrozen" and opened up to any citizen residing for over ten uninterrupted years. The present electoral roll is "frozen", which means it only allows citizens who have resided in New Caledonia before November 1998 to cast their vote at local elections. The case could be brought to the French Constitutional Council, or even higher, to a European or international level, pro-France politicians confirmed.
