Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli occupation army: A sergeant from the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion was killed in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Israeli media: The government has approved the agreement that includes the release of hostages and Palestinian detainees amid divisions within the ministerial council.
European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre: The earthquake hit at a depth of 58 kilometers, warning of potentially hazardous tsunami waves.
European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes the Mindanao region in the Philippines.
Cuban Foreign Ministry: The clear objective of this escalation is to overthrow the constitutional government of President Nicolás Maduro and install a Washington-aligned authority.
Cuban Foreign Ministry: We warn against the growing escalation by the United States against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Venezuela's request comes in response to the escalation of aggression and the unprecedented US military deployment in the Caribbean.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Venezuelan government has officially requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli artillery shells the northwest of Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: The ceasefire has come into effect.

Police killing of man in New Caledonia risk jeopardizing calm efforts

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 24 May 2024 17:46
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The killing of a 48-year-old man by police on Friday raised the death toll from the unrest to seven.

  • x
  • New Caledonia
    People man a roadblock barricade, with Kanak flags, controlling access to a district in Noumea, France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on May 24, 2024. (AFP)

A policeman in New Caledonia killed a man on Friday, as French President Emmanuel Macron warned against the French Pacific territory turning into a new "Wild West".

The latest casualty dealt a severe blow to hopes for peace following Macron's visit, which some officials had anticipated as a turning point after more than a week of violence that has resulted in seven deaths.

Macron traveled to the southwest Pacific archipelago on Thursday, approximately 17,000 kilometers (10,600 miles) from mainland France, in an urgent attempt to mitigate a growing political crisis over voting reforms.

The killing of a 48-year-old man by police on Friday raised the death toll from the unrest to seven, including two gendarmes. The incident marked the first civilian death at the hands of law enforcement since the protests began on May 13.

A police officer and his colleague were "physically attacked by a group of around 15 individuals" in Dumbea just outside the capital Noumea, forcing him to draw his weapon, said prosecutor Yves Dupas.

"In circumstances that have yet to be determined, the officer is said to have fired a shot from his service weapon to extricate himself from the physical altercation," Dupas said in a statement.

"Initial findings show traces of blows to the officers' faces," the statement said.

The officer who fired the shots was taken into custody, the prosecutor said, adding that a probe into voluntary manslaughter by a person in authority was launched.

France has declared a state of emergency, deploying hundreds of police and military reinforcements to restore order in the territory situated between Australia and Fiji.

The deadliest violence in four decades erupted over a French voting reform plan that indigenous Kanaks say will weaken their voice.

"Violence should never be allowed to take root," Macron said during a televised interview with local journalists at the end of his visit. "What I want is a message of order and return to calm as this is not the Wild West," he said.

Related News

France court approves Kanak leader's return to New Caledonia

France announces State of New Caledonia, except with a twist

"A path must be opened for the calming of tensions and this will allow us to build what happens next."

He said that all roadblocks should be "immediately" removed.

New Caledonia has been under French rule since the 1800s, but many Indigenous Kanaks continue to resent France's control over their islands and seek greater autonomy or independence.

France had planned to extend voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents.

Macron acknowledged the need for further discussions on the voting reforms, assuring that changes would "not be forced through in the current context."

"We will allow some weeks to allow a calming of tensions and resumption of dialogue to find a broad accord" among all parties, he added, saying he would reassess the situation within a month.

Macron stated that Caledonians would be invited to vote on their future if leaders could achieve a comprehensive agreement. The French parliament's lower house had approved the voting reform, but it still required final ratification.

However, on Friday, uncertainty loomed over whether Macron's intervention would succeed in quelling the unrest.

In Noumea's Montravel district, activists awaited further instructions from the FLNKS, a pro-independence party, with one activist expressing readiness "to continue protesting because apparently the president of the Republic doesn't want to listen to us."

Separatists have erected barricades, cutting off entire neighborhoods and the main route to the international airport, which remains closed.

Since Tuesday, New Zealand and Australia have been carrying out special evacuation flights to bring home hundreds of tourists stranded in New Caledonia.

Read more: France to curb New Caledonia independence protests 'whatever the cost'

  • New Caledonia
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • France

Most Read

A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
The Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza showed that after combating Israeli aggression for two years, they remain victorious in the face of oppression (Mahdi Rteil/Al Mayadeen English)

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

  • Politics
  • 6 Oct 2025
President Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump sets record-low refugee cap in new immigration policy shift

  • Politics
  • 4 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Displaced Palestinians watch smoke rise after Israeli military strikes as they gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, Thursday, October 9, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli occupation bombs Gaza home, killing 4 and wounding 9

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, right, visit the site of a shooting attack at a bus stop in al-Quds, Monday, September 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ben-Gvir warns will topple Netanyahu’s govt over Hamas

Head of Hamas in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya speaks during an interview with AP, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Deal reached for permanent Gaza ceasefire, end to war: Al-Hayya

Yemeni Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during his speech on Thursday, Ocotber 9, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)
Politics

Sayyed al-Houthi: Yemen on alert as Gaza ceasefire takes effect

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS