French police kill alleged gunman amid continued unrest in New Caledonia

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French police shot and killed an alleged gunman in New Caledonia on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from nearly two months of chaos in the French Pacific territory to 10. The unrest began over plans to expand the electoral roll, which indigenous Kanak people fear would diminish their chances for independence, leading to widespread roadblocks, arson, and looting, and prompting Paris to deploy thousands of troops and police.

Issued on: 10/07/2024 – 11:37

1 min

French police conduct an operation in Houillou, on the east coast of New Caledonia, July 1, 2024. © Theo Rouby, AFP

French police shot and killed an alleged gunman in New Caledonia on Wednesday, local prosecutors said, bringing the toll of almost two months of unrest in the French Pacific territory to 10.

The suspect was killed during a gun battle in the Mont-Dore district outside New Caledonia’s capital Noumea, where police were deployed to clear roadblocks.

When the police came under fire, members of the GIGN elite tactical unit covering the operation shot back, killing the man, a source close to the case told AFP.

A second source familiar with the case said police had been deployed to arrest people behind gun attacks that have become common in the area, only to come under fire themselves as they cleared a major road.

Unrest broke out in mid-May in New Caledonia, almost 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris, over a planned expansion of the electoral roll that indigenous Kanak people fear would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their hopes for independence.

Watch moreNew Caledonia: Why is there unrest?

Some barricaded roads and burned or looted cars, businesses and public buildings, prompting Paris to send thousands of troops and police in response.

The electoral change, which requires altering the French constitution, is effectively in limbo since President Emmanuel Macron dissolved parliament for new elections that on Sunday produced a lower house with no clear majority.

But unrest has again been stoked by the arrests of pro-independence figures on June 19.

Read moreNew Caledonia independence activists sent to France for detention after deadly riots

Of 13 people accused of helping orchestrate the riots, five have been jailed in mainland France awaiting trial.

The most prominent of them is Christian Tein of the pro-independence group CCAT, which Paris accuses of being behind the violence.

(AFP)