French Minister Valls wants all parties to ‘take their responsibilities’ ahead of third trip to New Caledonia
French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, who is visiting New Caledonia this week for the third time in two months, has once again called all parties to live up to their responsibilities in order to make a new
It’s a violation: France called out on nuclear tests
From 1966-1996, France conducted 193 nuclear explosions on Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in the Tuamotu archipelago of Mā’ohi Nui, known in France as its overseas territory of French
New Caledonia talks to resume this month, but differences remain
New Caledonian political leaders and the French government are scheduled to resume political status talks on 29 April, when France’s Overseas Minister Manuel Valls returns to Noumea. For Valls, “the objective of
No deal for New Caledonia, talks to continue later this month
After four days of continuous talks with New Caledonia’s political forces, French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has returned to Paris Tuesday, without any deal as yet regarding the French Pacific
Steps forward in New Caledonia political talks
For the first time since 2019, there have been tripartite talks on the political status of New Caledonia, during an eight-day visit by France’s Overseas Minister Manuel Valls. After six months of conflict that began
French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls to visit Nouméa for key political talks
French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has announced he will travel to New Caledonia on 22 February to pursue talks on the French territory’s political future. This comes following preliminary talks held last
Collapse of government in Paris sends shockwaves to Noumea
by Nic Maclellan A no-confidence motion in the French National Assembly has ousted the government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. But for New Caledonians, still reeling from the economic, cultural and social
“We are all Pacific islanders, even if New Caledonia is French”
On the final day of the Pacific Islands Forum mission to New Caledonia, the delegation of Forum leaders broke bread with church and community elders at a working breakfast. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka thanked
New Caledonia’s President meets with fellow Forum leaders
President Louis Mapou and the Government of New Caledonia has met with a visiting mission of Pacific Islands Forum leaders, with the Kanak politician noting “New Caledonia is at a turning point in its evolution, and
“We’re here as family”: Forum delegation arrives in New Caledonia
After months of delay, a high-level Pacific Islands Forum mission has arrived in New Caledonia for three days of dialogue and information sharing. In a busy program, the delegation will meet with members of New
Kanak activist Christian Tein’s imprisonment overturned by France’s highest court
The highest court in France has overturned a decision to lock up the Kanak pro-independence activist Christian
Overseas Minister buffeted by New Caledonia crisis
By Nic Maclellan, in Noumea, New Caledonia France’s newly appointed Overseas Minister François-Noël Buffet has travelled to New Caledonia for a four-day visit, pledging that “the time has come for the return of
Paris shifts gears on New Caledonia, after months of conflict
After nearly five months of conflict in New Caledonia, the French government has formally announced it will abandon a constitutional amendment on voting rights for New
New Caledonia’s constitutional reform will not go ahead: French PM
New Caledonia's controversial constitutional reform will not go ahead, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier
Forum debates French colonialism, China and climate change
As Presidents, Prime Ministers and Premiers assembled in the Kingdom of Tonga for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM), the region’s Blue Pacific agenda was overshadowed by geopolitical jousting and
Whispers
Dispatches from Tonga The ubiquity of mobile phones is a growing issue at the Pacific Islands Forum. At last month’s leaders’ meeting in Nuku’alofa, every ceremony and event was captured on phones, with selfies
Deaths at Saint Louis overshadow anniversary of French colonisation
Tuesday 24 September marks the 171st anniversary of the French annexation of New Caledonia. By order of Napoleon III, Rear-Admiral Février-Despointes officially took possession of the main island Grande Terre in 1853,
Two Kanaks shot dead by French police in New Caledonia decried as ‘assassinations’
French police shot and killed two men in New Caledonia on Thursday, stoking tensions with pro-independence groups days ahead of a public holiday marking France’s annexation of the Pacific archipelago. The
New Caledonia Loyalists welcome choice of French PM
Anti-independence politicians in New Caledonia have welcomed the appointment of Michel Barnier as the new French Prime Minister in Paris. A member of the conservative political party Les Républicains (LR), Barnier has
French Polynesia hits Paris approach to New Caledonia
French Polynesia says France failed to heed warnings of unrest in New Caledonia and Paris needs to soften its diplomacy in the crisis-hit Pacific territory. The future of New Caledonia is a hot topic at the Pacific
French Special Envoy urges Pacific preparation for UN Ocean conference
An international conference about ocean protection is incomplete without the voices of the Pacific region, says Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ambassador in charge of Poles and Maritime issues, Special Envoy of the French
UN experts alarmed by situation of Kanak indigenous peoples in the non-self-governing territory of New Caledonia
The French Parliament adopted a bill on 14 May 2024 that dismantles one of the cornerstones of the Nouméa Accord by unfreezing the electoral body in New Caledonia, a non-self-governing territory under French
French political uncertainty unsettles New Caledonia
The glitz and glamour of the Olympics hosted by France has overshadowed an ongoing political crisis facing the French State. For weeks after snap elections for the French National Assembly, the outgoing government has