France hopes to restore calm in New Caledonia

STORY: :: France's government hopes to restore calm in New Caledonia after three nights of deadly upheaval

:: May 16, 2024

:: Yoan Fleurot

:: Noumea, New Caledonia

:: Gerald Darmanin, French Interior Minister

:: France 2

:: Caledonia

:: Paris, France

:: “We can say that the state is putting in huge resources to save lives, to protect the most important infrastructure, the airport, the port, electricity, hospitals, protect the offices of France Television, protect everything that makes democracy thrive locally. But in the coming hours, yes, the state will completely regain control."

:: “Thanks to the state of emergency, we will re-establish order. Hundreds of police officers and gendarmes are arriving into Noumea. We're going from 1,700 police officers and gendarmes, which was already a lot, to 2,700 police officers and gendarmes by tomorrow night. So calm will be re-established."

Rioters have burnt businesses, torched cars and looted shops, and road barricades put up by protesters were causing a "dire situation" for access to medicine and food in the French-ruled Pacific island, authorities said.

France declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia that came into force at 5 a.m. (1800 GMT Wednesday), and went on to put at least 10 people under house arrest and ban TikTok.

Reuters was able to locate the footage filmed from various areas in Noumea from the signages, building characteristics, vegetation and road layouts that matched to file and satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was able to confirm the date of footage from source and metadata.