PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to riot-hit New Caledonia, the French Pacific territory that has been gripped by days of deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence.
“He will go there tonight,” government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the president said he’d decided to make the more than 33,000-kilometer (20,000-mile) round trip himself to the archipelago east of Australia.
Six people have been killed, including two gendarmes, and hundreds of others injured in New Caledonia amid armed clashes, looting and arson, raising new questions about Macron’s handling of France’s colonial legacy.
There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who seek independence for the archipelago of 270,000 people, and descendants of colonizers and colonists who want to remain part of France.
Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
How the New Zealand Falcons are tackling stigma against LGBTTQIA+ people in sports
Airports Association says lack of government action to boost competition leading to high fares
Coach speaks on car chase, gun shots after Hawke's Bay rugby game
Who is Abi Carter? Inside the American Idol winner's unconventional family life
Orange heavy rain warnings still in place in south as bad weather moves north
Lawyers call on MPs to include right to sustainable environment in legislation
More videos of Kiwi hostage Philip Mehrtens in Papua warn against Indonesian military air strikes
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
US Senators Express Concern Over North Korea
Trump accepts a VP debate but wants it on Fox News. Harris has already said yes to CBS
Watch live: PM Christopher Luxon talks to media in Auckland