7 months ago
24
NEW DELHI: More than 100 individuals, including
police
officers and gendarmes, sustained
injuries
in the ongoing unrest in New Caledonia, French interior minister
Gerald Darmanin
said on Wednesday.
Darmanin said that authorities were yet to establish the "circumstances" that led to one person being shot dead overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday and that dozens of homes and businesses had been torched during rioting linked to anger over constitutional reforms.
Meanwhile, three people have been killed in the unrest, an official said. As riots continued, stores and schools remained shut on Wednesday after France's national assembly approved changes to voting rules in the Pacific island.
Authorities reported one fatality in industrial zone due to gunshot wounds including two others. High commissioner Louis le Franc said that the shot likely was not from law enforcement but "from someone who probably was defending himself".
Tensions erupted earlier this week preceding the parliamentary vote in Paris on a bill enabling French residents residing in New Caledonia for a decade to participate in provincial elections—a move local leaders fear could dilute the Kanak vote.
Both French President Emmanuel Macron and New Caledonia's President Louis Mapou have urged for calm and dialogue amidst the unrest.
Authorities reported one fatality found in an industrial zone due to gunshot wounds, with high commissioner Louis le Franc clarifying that the shot likely wasn't from law enforcement but "from someone who probably was defending himself".
The French administration defended the voting regulations change, backed by lawmakers 351 to 153, asserting its necessity for democratic elections in the territory.
President Macron proposed dialogue between New Caledonia's pro- and anti-independence factions before a special congress ratifies the bill.
The primary pro-independence political entity, Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS), expressed willingness to engage in dialogue and pursue an accord "that would enable New Caledonia to progress toward self-determination".
(with input from agency)
