French President Flies To New Caledonia In The Aftermath Of Riots Demanding Independence Kills 6 People

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Wikimedia Commons-IAEA Imagebank)

French President Emmanuel Macron flew to Caledonia Just after the riots in the French-controlled region killed six people.

Chaos hit New Caledonia for days, including the impact of the demands for independence of the local people of Kanak.

Macron has decided to travel back and forth for more than 33,000 kilometers into the archipelago in eastern Australia.

"He [Macron] will go there tonight," said French government spokesman Prisca Thevenot after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, May 21 local time, quoted by NBC News, Wednesday, May 22.

Six people were killed, including two policemen, and hundreds others injured in New Caledonia when riots were colored by looting and arson.

There has been tensions for decades between the natives of Kanak who want independence for the island nation of 270,000 people. However, French descent and other parties who have settled on the island and want to remain part of France.

The clash between the authorities and the local community raises new questions about how Macron handled the French colonial heritage area.

Chaos erupted on May 13 in New Caledonia when France's legislative body in Paris discussed amendments to the French Constitution to change the voter list in New Caledonia.

Opponents of this amendment fear the move will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanak tribe that has suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

The riots became the worst to shake New Caledonia since the 1980s, when France also imposed emergency measures on the French-owned island in 1853 under the rule of Emperor Napoleon III.

Paris last Wednesday was declared a minimum 12-day emergency in New Caledonia. A total of 1,000 reinforcements were deployed to strengthen security forces who lost control of parts of the capital city of New Caledonia, Noumea.