In these troubled times in New Caledonia, the French archipelago is shaken by a series of violence which pushed President Emmanuel Macron to intervene to restore order and calm. In an interview given to the public channel Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ère, broadcast last Friday, the head of state clearly expressed his desire not to let the archipelago become “the Wild West”. This evocative expression refers to the image of a region delivered to the law of the strongest, where the authority of the State is failing, giving way to violence and anarchy.
Faced with this rise in tensions, President Macron reaffirmed the essential role of the State in maintaining republican order. He stressed the need for a return to calm and serenity, calling for a firm but measured recovery of the situation. The recent demonstrations and riots leading to the loss of human lives, including two gendarmes, have pushed the government to deploy significant resources, including the dispatch of 3,000 internal security forces to the archipelago.
Furthermore, the question of transport was also raised, with the prolonged closure of Nouméa international airport to commercial flights. This situation led to a mobilization of the Australian and New Zealand authorities to evacuate tourists stranded there since the start of the unrest. Special flights have been chartered to ensure the repatriation of people waiting.
Ultimately, the crisis in New Caledonia highlights the issues of state authority, the management of social unrest and the preservation of citizen security. This delicate context requires firm responses but also actions in favor of dialogue, mediation and reconciliation. Appeasement and the search for lasting solutions remain the key words to face this tumultuous period and find the path to peace and stability.