Authorities reported that several buildings, including a police station and a town hall, were set on fire overnight in New Caledonia, as the French Pacific territory experienced a fresh wave of unrest.

This surge follows the transfer of seven independence activists, associated with a group accused of inciting deadly riots in the territory last month, to mainland France for pre-trial detention, according to a local prosecutor.

Christian Tein, an Indigenous Kanak leader of the pro-independence party known as The Field Action Coordination Unit, was flown to mainland France overnight Saturday, along with six other activists, prosecutor Yves Dupas said in a statement.

The seven Kanak activists were transferred to pretrial detention on “a specially chartered plane” because of “the sensitivity of the procedure,” Dupas stressed.

Moving the detained activists into custody 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) away from their homeland would allow the investigation into their alleged actions to continue “in a calm manner and without any pressure,” he further claimed.

“This transfer was organized during the night by means of a plane specially chartered for the mission,” prosecutor Yves Dupas detailed.

New Caledonia, with a population of about 270,000, has been rocked by unrest since May 13, sparked by French plans to impose new rules that would give tens of thousands of non-indigenous residents voting rights.

Why it matters

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The transfer of some defendants to detention centers in France has outraged independence activists, who labeled it a "political deportation."

Last month, riots erupted in New Caledonia in response to the electoral reform. The Indigenous Kanaks of the archipelago feared that the move would dilute their vote, undermining their hopes of ultimately achieving independence. The violence led to nine deaths, including two police officers, and caused widespread damage to businesses, shops, and homes.

Daniel Goa, president of the Union Calédonienne, the main independence party, said the transfer of the arrested activists to France was “political deportation”.

“The independence of the judiciary is a farce in New Caledonia,” said Goa.

Goa also criticized “France’s colonial, repressive, and retrograde policy against the Kanak people.”

Following a frantic campaign period for snap parliamentary elections in France, President Emmanuel Macron halted the modifications to voting rights in New Caledonia. However, the recent arrests risk exacerbating the rifts in the archipelago's political scene ahead of the elections' first round scheduled for June 30. Political leaders across all factions in New Caledonia have unanimously criticized the timing of these elections. 

The big picture

New Caledonia has been a French territory since the mid-1800s. Almost two centuries on, its politics remain dominated by debate about whether the islands should be part of France, autonomous or independent.

Indigenous Kanaks make up about 39% of the population but tend to be poorer and have fewer years of schooling than European Caledonians.

It is worth noting that the territory contains roughly 10% of the world's total nickel reserve and is rich in resources. 

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