A serious crisis overseas, in the antipodes, has destabilizing effects on the metropolis. That explains the lightning trip that French President Emmanuel Macron undertook yesterday to the archipelago of New Caledonia, in Oceania, 17,000 kilometers from Paris. It will take you, with the stopover to refuel, a whole day.
Macron likes coups de effect, even more so when he finds himself in difficulties. The revolt that began more than a week ago in the distant territory of the South Pacific has been fading away, for now, although the balance is devastating: six dead, hundreds injured, a multitude of businesses and companies looted and destroyed, shortages, ruin of the tourist image and coexistence between the Kanak (native) community and the rest of the population seriously compromised for a long time.
The French head of state will land in Nouméa, the capital of the islands and the epicenter of the unrest, before the international airport reopens to commercial flights. Over the weekend, police and gendarmes urgently transported to the islands managed to dismantle the dozens of barricades that angry Kanak youths erected on the road that runs through the main island, Grande Terre, and that prevented access to the airport.
According to government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot, Macron is traveling to launch “a dialogue mission” between the opposing groups. The president acts “in a spirit of responsibility.” His goal is to “express his solidarity with the Caledonians” and to thank the law enforcement and military for his contribution “to the return of republican order.” It is, obviously, a gesture. The scarce 24 hours in which the head of the Elysée will remain in New Caledonia will not allow him to obtain a compromise in a conflict that has dragged on for many years and has its roots in the colonial past. It remains to be seen whether he will be met with open hostility and whether, instead of appeasing, he will further stoke the embers.
This archipelago discovered by the British captain James Cook and which France – under Emperor Napoleon III – incorporated into its overseas possessions, today has about 270,000 inhabitants. The problem is that the natives are now a minority, although the electoral system gives them electoral overrepresentation. It was precisely the constitutional reform project to correct this overrepresentation that caused the explosion of anger.
Macron is accompanied on the plane by the Ministers of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin; of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, and of Overseas, Marie Guévenoux. A delegation of such weight wants to symbolize the importance given to the crisis and the desire to show that Paris does not ignore the territory, despite being on the UN decolonization list. The Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, who has never been to the islands, will soon travel to New Caledonia. Attal will preside today in Paris, replacing Macron, at the tribute ceremony for the two gendarmes killed during the riots.
The New Caledonia dispute has a difficult solution. The priority is to avoid a civil war, a nightmare that has been on the verge of materializing, as in the eighties of the last century. During the riots, militias of armed civilians have appeared to protect their respective neighborhoods.
France is not opposed in principle to New Caledonia acceding to full independence. However, she fears that such a small and fragile country will fall under the orbit of China or other powers. The islands are very rich in nickel, although this industry is now suffering a serious crisis that impacts the unrest of the Kanaks. “France is more beautiful with New Caledonia,” said Macron after the first self-determination referendum, in May 2018, in which the inhabitants decided to remain in France. Then there were two other consultations, in October 2020 and December 2021, which the secessionists also lost, although the last one was distorted by a boycott.
Macron’s trip to the antipodes may not be completely unrelated to an internal political calculation. The president’s party, Renacimiento, may suffer a debacle in the European elections on June 9. The Elysée’s display of power and determination could help mitigate the electoral disaster, or perhaps the opposite.
