Pacific leaders demand fresh New Caledonia independence referendum

A bloc of Pacific island leaders on Wednesday condemned France’s “illegitimate” handling of the U.N-mandated decolonization of its Pacific territory New Caledonia and called for a further referendum on independence.

In a statement, the five member Melanesian Spearhead Group – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the pro-independence FLNKS of New Caledonia – also denounced France’s militarization of New Caledonia after deadly riots erupted in May.

Ten people have died in violent protests sparked by French government plans to unfreeze the territory’s electoral roll and dilute the vote of the Kanak indigenous people. The unrest resulted in billions of dollars in economic damage and the deployment of thousands of French police and special forces.

“We are of the strong view the conduct was not in accordance with the U.N. principles allowing a fair and unfettered process to be expressed by the indigenous peoples concerned, in particular the obligation of the Administering Power,” the MSG leaders said on the sidelines of a meeting of Pacific leaders in Japan in what they called their “Tokyo Statement.”

“[We] therefore regard the conduct and result as illegitimate, null and void.”

Under the 1998 Noumea Accord peace agreement that set out a path to give New Caledonia’s Kanaks greater political power, three referendums on independence were mandated between 2018 and 2021, the first two resulting in modest majorities to remain with France. 

A contentious third vote was boycotted by the independence movement because it was unilaterally brought forward by the government of French President Emmanuel Macron during the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted campaigning. The resulting low voter turnout returned an overwhelming “yes” to remain with France.

The MSG leaders said dialogue and a new referendum overseen by the U.N. was the political solution to guarantee “the lasting peace we are all seeking.”

BenarNews has contacted the French High Commission in Noumea about the MSG statement but has not received a response.

“We need regional support to bring some stability and return Kanaky to normalcy,” FLNKS spokesperson Jimmy Naouna told BenarNews.

Last month’s unrest was the worst political violence in the Pacific territory located between Australia and Fiji since the 1980s.

Overnight, as clashes entered a tenth week, a historic church was torched in the Kanak strong-hold of St Louis on the outskirts of the capital Noumea. It followed a week-long operation by 350 French police with armored personnel carriers to remove roadblocks and reopen a key road that runs through the community.

The Fédération des Industries de Nouvelle-Calédonie has estimated the economic cost of the crisis to be 265 billion CPF francs (U.S.$2.6 billion).

Kanaks comprise about 40% of New Caledonia’s 270,000 people but they are marginalized in their own land, with lower incomes and poorer health outcomes than Europeans who make up a third of the population and occupy most positions of power in the territory.

French control of the territory gives the European nation a significant security and diplomatic role in the Pacific as the United States, Australia and their allies push back against China’s inroads in the region. New Caledonia also has valuable nickel deposits that are among the world’s largest.

Ahead of French National Assembly elections earlier this month Macron shelved the electoral changes that sparked the protests. 

The unexpected winners in the snap poll, the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, have not yet been able to form government, while Macron remains president. 

The leader of the largest bloc in the NPF alliance, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, called for “an end to neocolonialist behavior in New Caledonia Kanaky” during the election campaign. 

The poll resulted in FLNKS candidate Emmanuel Tjibaou – the son of assassinated pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou – securing the groups’ second ever seat in the legislature since 1986. The MSG leaders point to his win as further grounds for another referendum.

The transfer to France of seven arrested pro-independence activists to face trial over the rioting in May was criticized by the MSG as “not helpful to create a harmonious and peaceful environment.”

The Melanesian leaders are also requesting a joint U.N.-MSG mission to New Caledonia to assess the situation and warn they may take the issue to the U.N. General Assembly when it meets in New York in September.