Violence has erupted in New Caledonia after French politicians discussed a draft amendment to allow recent arrivals to vote in provincial elections, intensifying long-standing conflicts over French influence in the territory.
Violence has erupted in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific, after politicians in Paris discussed a draft constitutional amendment to allow recent arrivals to the territory to vote in provincial elections. More than 130 people have been arrested after protests against the reform turned violent on Monday night, with shots fired at security forces, vehicles torched and shops looted in the worst unrest the French overseas territory has seen since the 1980s.
The world's number three nickel producer, New Caledonia lies at the heart of a geopolitically complex maritime region, where China and the United States are jostling for power and influence in security and trade. Without naming China, Macron has previously said France's drive to expand its influence in the Pacific was to ensure a "rules-based development." New Caledonia became a French overseas territory in 1946.
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