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SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, decided on Sunday to become the world's newest state in a referendum on independence, the result of a decade-long process of decolonization.
This is the first vote of self-determination organized on French territory since Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, voted for independence in 1977. Tensions have long existed between the indigenous Kanaks, independenceist, and the descendants of settlers who remain faithful to Paris.
A favorable vote would not only shake the pride of France, a colonial power that would spread to the Caribbean, to sub – Saharan Africa and the Pacific Ocean, but would deprive Paris of its own. a foot in the Indo-Pacific region where China is expanding its presence. .
Voters will be asked the question "Do you want New Caledonia to acquire full sovereignty and become independent?"
During a visit to the archipelago in May, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the "pains of colonization" and praised the "dignified" campaign run by the Kanak. He and his administration sought a neutral tone in the vote.
The latest polls show that the islands should vote to remain a French territory.
The New Caledonian economy relies on annual subsidies of around 1.3 billion euros, granted by France, to nickel deposits representing around 25% of the world total and tourism.
The archipelago and its 280 000 inhabitants already enjoy a large autonomy but depend strongly on France for issues such as defense and education.
Discovered for the first time by the British explorer James Cook, the archipelago of New Caledonia is more than 16,700 kilometers from metropolitan France. He became a French colony in 1853.
Under colonial rule, Kanaks were confined to reserves and excluded from most of the island's economy. The first revolt broke out in 1878, shortly after the discovery of large nickel deposits currently exploited by the French subsidiary of the French mining company Eramet, SLN.
More than 100 years later, in the mid-1980s, clashes erupted between supporters of independence and those who wanted to remain French, while anger and anger were raging against poverty and poor prospects. employment.
A 1988 massacre in a cave on Ouvea Island killed 19 indigenous separatists and two French soldiers and intensified talks on the future of the island. An agreement reached in 1998 called for a referendum on independence by the end of 2018.
According to the terms of the agreement, in case of no vote, two other referendums can be organized before 2022.
Written by Richard Lough; Edited by Geert De Clercq and Jacqueline Wong
