Four people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid recent protests in New Caledonia, a French overseas island territory in the Pacific Ocean.
- France announced a state of emergency there on May 15 for at least the next 12 days. The protests followed a recent Bill in the French parliament, aimed at giving voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for more than 10 years.
- Many pro-independence Kanaks see this as a possible marginalisation of their votes’ significance.
- France has controlled the island since the mid-19th century, resulting in a significant French population.
- New Caledonia is located around 1,500 km to the east of Australia. Indigenous groups, specifically the Melanesian Kanak people, have inhabited it for a few thousand years.
