The declaration was made by the leaders of the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Palau following discussions in Nadi, Fiji, on Friday in light of the looming energy crisis as a result of the illegal US-Israel war on Iran.

The meeting brought together the incoming Chair, President Surangel Whipps of Palau, and outgoing Chair, the Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Fakafanua.

On a social media post, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele noted that Solomon Islands continued to experience the impact of global fuel price volatility and highlighted the importance of practical regional solutions to support vulnerable Pacific economies.

Leaders noted that Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands had declared energy emergencies, while Solomon Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia were implementing national mitigation measures.

Other Forum members remain on a regional watch phase, with ongoing monitoring by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware the Forum Troika has invoked the Biketawa Declaration to respond to the current global fuel and energy challenges.

A spokesperson for MFAT said they are supportive of regional efforts to respond to regional crises, including through the Biketawa Declaration.

They said they are working closely with Pacific Islands Forum partners to understand the fuel supply situation, and potential needs, across the region and how they could assist.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has returned from New Caledonia saying it is not a simple “black and white situation”.

Brown returned from a three-day Pacific fact-finding mission in the French Pacific territory alongside the Prime Ministers of Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji.

New Caledonia has been going through a period of turmoil with violence and arson since May, resulting in 13 deaths and the destruction of many businesses.

“There’s no doubt there is a call and a need for the easing of tensions in the country,” Brown said.

“This would enable more dialogue to take place between the various vested groups to find a pathway forward for New Caledonia.”

Brown said Kanaky New Caledonia’s population was diverse, made up of indigenous Kanak, French, and Pacific diaspora.

Almost all of these groups want greater autonomy from France with some also wanting full independence or to remain a French territory, he said.

“But you have quite a large group between those two extremes that want a way forward that enables New Caledonians, all of them, to be able to determine their own future.”

Pacific policing France ‘may wish to consider’
Brown said Australia’s newly proposed regional policing initiative is “an option that New Caledonians may wish to consider”.

“At the moment that’s being done by the state government through France through its gendarmes and police force.”

The last time regional policing was used was in Solomon Islands after ethnic unrest in the 2000s, he said.

When asked whether France had “militarised” New Caledonia, Brown said France sent a lot of support “to help maintain law and order” but the focus now was on the reduction of tensions and dialogue.

France’s Ambassador to the Pacific Véronique told the ABC she doubted French authorities would see the need for Pacific police to be deployed to New Caledonia.

Brown said the other issue was the need for an urgent financial package.

“Unlike most other Pacific countries in cases of disaster whether they be natural disaster or other sorts, Pacific countries have the likes of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, development partners that would support and assist.

Relying solely on France
“In the case of New Caledonia, it doesn’t have the association with any of those financial institutions and would rely solely on France for its support.”

There needed to first be a reduction of tensions so that any rebuild would not be under threat from more civil unrest, he said.

Brown said Pacific nations had taken different decolonisation paths — with the exception of Tonga which had never been colonised.

Fiji became a republic after a number of coups and Cook Islands is self-governing in free association with New Zealand.

“Each of us took a different path to where we are today to gain our autonomy and our sovereignty and it’s something that we were able to share with New Caledonia.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

As a three-day fact-finding mission from a group of Pacific leaders drew to a close in New Caledonia, and with the outcomes report not expected before next year, the visit to the riot-hit French Pacific territory seems to have triggered a new sense of awareness locally about the values of Pacific regional mechanisms of “talanoa” embodied by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Local President Louis Mapou stressed on several occasions during the visit that New Caledonia’s situation was the “subject of much attention” in the Pacific region.

He suggested that one of the reasons for this could be because of a potential “spillover” effect that could “jeopardise cohesion in the Pacific”.

However, Mapou also stressed that he had received the message conveyed by the PIF “Troika-Plus” group that “they’re ready to take part in [New Caledonia’s] reconstruction”.

‘New Caledonia’s regional integration in its region’
Mapou said that one of the recurrent themes during the PIF visit was “New Caledonia’s regional integration in its region”.

“Whatever might be said, in many ways, New Caledonia does not know its [Pacific] region very well. Because it has this affiliation relationship to Europe and France that has prevailed over all these years,” he told local media.

“So, in a certain way, we’re just discovering our region. And in this process, the Pacific Islands Forum could bring a sort of leverage,” he said.

Kanaky New Caledonia, as well as French Polynesia — both French Pacific entities — became full members of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2016, after several years of “associate members” status.

Mapou said New Caledonia’s current status vis-à-vis France was mentioned during talks with the PIF mission.

“I spoke with them about obstacles that should be removed, that are directly related to our current status. This is part of topics on which we should be working in future,” he said.

“They’re very open-minded, they don’t have any preconceived ideas, they’re happy to talk equally about the concepts of independence, just as they are for keeping [New Caledonia] within the French Republic,” he revealed.

One of the unexpected outcomes, beyond the specific fact-finding mission that brought this PIF “Troika-Plus” leaders’ delegation to New Caledonia, seems to have underlined the values of regionalism, as well as New Caledonia’s long-awaited and genuine integration in its “regional environment”.

These values seem to have been recognised by all sides of New Caledonia’s political spectrum, as well as all walks of life within the civil, economic, educational and religious society.

“They readily exchanged their own experiences with our government. The Cook Islands, which is a self-governing state in ‘free association’ with New Zealand; Tonga, which has never been colonised; and the Solomon Islands, who have also undergone inter-ethnic conflicts and where the young population was also involved. And Fiji, which obtained independence (in 1970), had decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth and is finally re-discussing its link with Great Britain,” Mapou briefed local media on Tuesday.

The leaders spent three days (October 27-29) in the French Pacific territory to gather information on the ground, after destructive riots broke out in May, resulting in 13 deaths and extensive economic damage estimated at €2.2 billion.

During the three days, the PIF leaders met a wide range of political, business, religious, and civil society leaders to get a first-hand account of the situation.

On Tuesday, the “plus” component of the troika, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, reiterated the mission’s assigned mantra in a manner of conclusion to their mission.

“We were here to understand and make recommendations. We have heard many extremely different attitudes. We hope it will be possible to find a solution for the people and the government,” Rabuka told religious leaders.

Bitterness from civil society
The long series of talks, within a particularly tight schedule, also allowed groups within New Caledonia’s civil society — including traditional chiefs, youth, human rights activists, educationists, mayors and women — to express their views directly during the Pacific leaders’ visit.

Some of these groups also took the opportunity to point out that they were not always listened to in other circumstances.

“Today, peace has just been through a rough episode. And we, women, are being asked to help. But when was the last time we were heard?

“We’ve already said women should be part of all levels of decision-making, including on matters of dealing with violence and access for women to economic empowerment.

“We were ignored. And then, when fire breaks out, we’re being asked for help because this is the foundation of Pacific values,” said Sonia Tonga, the president of the Oceania Union of Francophone Women, which groups women’s groups from New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis-and-Futuna and Vanuatu.

Talking about the youth, she said there was an “ill-being”, “they don’t recognise themselves in this system, including for education. We’re trying to fit an Oceanian society into a framework that has not been designed for them.

“When will we be heard in our country?”.

As part of talks with church leaders, it was also pointed out that there were benefits from sharing experiences with Pacific leaders.

“I’ve been many times in Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and other Pacific islands. They too have had their hard times.

“And they too are familiar with the experience of violence which is difficult to bring back to a path of dialogue,” said 80-year-old Nouméa Catholic Archbishop Michel-Marie Calvet, a respected figure.

In terms of earlier crises in the Pacific region, among PIF member island states, in the early 2000s, civil unrest occurred in both Fiji and the Solomon Islands, with shops being targeted and looted.

Under Pacific Islands Forum mechanisms, especially the declaration of Biketawa, this prompted in 2003 the setting up of “RAMSI” (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands), with mostly Australia and New Zealand military and police as its main contributors, with additional input from other Pacific island countries.

In Fiji, the mission to defuse the crisis, associated with an attempted coup and a MPs hostage situation within Parliament buildings in May 2000, was mainly achieved by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) through protracted negotiations and without violence.

Supporting Pacific dialogue
In the political sphere, there was a recognition of the benefits of a Pacific perspective.

“There is a Pacific tradition of dialogue and talanoa. So, I think [the PIF leaders] can invite pro-independence parties to come to the [negotiating] table,” said New Caledonia’s Mayors’ Association president Pascal Vittori.

“We’re actually expecting PIF will back this notion of dialogue — that’s what’s important now,” he told local media.

Sonia Backès, one of the staunchest defenders of New Caledonia remaining part of France, told reporters on Monday: “We didn’t ask for this [mission]. Now we’re waiting for this (troika) report based on their observing mission.

“We all know that there are biased views on the part of some, one way or the other.

“So we hope the final report will be as fair and neutral as possible so as not to add fuel to the fire.”

Following their visit to New Caledonia and based on the information gathered, the Forum “Troika-Plus” leaders are expected to compile a “comprehensive report” to be submitted to the next annual Forum Leaders’ Summit in the Solomon Islands in 2025.

“The terms of reference of this mission were discussed beforehand between the government of New Caledonia, the Pacific Islands Forum and the (French) State. We all agreed that what was most important was to have an assessment of the situation.

“There is a need to provide information to the public so that it is an informed opinion leader. It’s important in those times of misinformation and manipulation from one side or the other,” French ambassador for the Pacific Véronique Roger-Lacan told public broadcaster NC la 1ère TV on Tuesday evening.

“Our local market has just shrunk considerably and so we will need to find new openings for our products. In that perspective, our cooperation with the Pacific is very, very strategic”, said business leaders association MEDEF-NC president Mimsy Daly.

She had once again presented a detailed view of the widespread devastation caused by the recent riots and those who took part.

“‘Were they aware of what they were doing?’ is one of the questions I was asked,” she wrote on social networks after her encounter with the “Troika-Plus”.

“A logical question when you know that what has been destroyed equals about 70 percent of the GDP of the Cook Islands, 100 percent of the GDP of the Solomon Islands and 40 percent of the GDP of Fiji.”

But she admitted the response to this complex question was “primordial” and “every light will have to be shed on the matter”.

In a wrap-up of the three days, President Mapou held a final meeting with the group on Tuesday.

Wide circle of ‘concertation’ needed
French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, after a final meeting with the delegation, said: “They have come here to seek the profound causes of what happened on May 13. They have been listening very closely.

“I understand their view is that a wide circle of concertation [cooperation] will be required to reach an agreement,” he said.

He elaborated, saying that the Pacific Forum leaders seemed to place a lot of hope in the notions of “trust”, the “necessity of living together” and the PIF’s “will to help, while saying that, at the same time, the solution lies in the hands of New Caledonia”.

They will lead what is described as a “mission of concertation and dialogue”.

The dates come as a top-level meeting took place last week, presided by French Head of State Emmanuel Macron and attended by French minister for Overseas François-Noël Buffet (who had just returned from New Caledonia), French PM Barnier, Larcher and Braun-Pivet.

The objective, once again, was to reinforce the signal that the time had come to resume political dialogue.

Macron indicated earlier that he still intended to host a meeting in Paris sometime in November.

Buffet was also in New Caledonia earlier this month for four days to assess the situation and try to restore a path to dialogue between all political stakeholders, both pro-independence and pro-France.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A three-day fact-finding mission, headed by three Pacific leaders, has wrapped up in Nouméa, and New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou says the French territory is at a “turning point”.

The semi-autonomous Pacific territory has been riddled with violent unrest since May.

While tensions have reportedly eased for now, the main political decision-making body for the Pacific region has been in Nouméa this week on a “strictly observational” but “critical mission”.

Territorial President Louis Mapou told reporters why the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) “troika -plus” visit was so important.

“They have a shared intention with government members, drawing on their own experience in the region: the Cook Islands, which are in free association with New Zealand; Tonga, a country that was never colonised; and the Solomon Islands, which have experienced interethnic conflicts in the northern part, where youth played a significant role,” he said.

“And finally, Fiji, which gained independence, decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth, and is now re-evaluating its connection with the British Crown. So, they willingly shared their own history.

“They pointed out that in each of these histories, it was often the internal decisions of the populations involved that ultimately shaped the choices made about their country’s future.”

What a pleasant honour to have Hon. Prime Minister @slrabuka welcomed by @LegionEtrangere & @RSMA_NC , writing a poem about his visit in New-Caledonia as a member of the @ForumSEC high level Troïka-Plus information mission . pic.twitter.com/HVVoebqPfA

— Véronique Roger-Lacan (@rogerlacanv) October 28, 2024

Hope and perspective
Local government spokesperson Charles Wea said the visit brought hope and perspective.

“It is important that that people from New Caledonia can arrive to express their views, and also the political perspectives, in terms of political future,” he said.

“The process of decolonisation, for example, which is quite a major subject topic that will be in the discussion with a mission”

Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni led the PPIF troika-plus delegation — Rabuka was the “plus” factor.

“We are not there to judge you or to tell them what to do right now. It is a preliminary visit. So, basically, we just want to listen.”

While it is a fact-finding mission, there are some indisputable facts, such as New Caledonia being on the United Nations Decolonisation List.

Tuvalu MP Simon Kofe has expressed his thoughts on this.

Pacific ‘needs to support decolonisation’
“My position is for independence, we need to continue supporting the decolonisation of the Pacific,” Kofe told RNZ Pacific.

Hu’akavameiliku’s views were somewhat more diplomatic.

“I do believe that there is a way of having some sovereignty and control of your country. There are various models in the Pacific. You have Niue and Cook Islands. Then you have American Samoa.

“We are not the ones who will tell [New Caledonia] what is working and what is not. We respect their sovereignty.”

But amid the politicking, a Kanak leader from the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia, Billy Wetewea, said people were struggling.

In particular, the indigenous population, who were battling inequities in education, employment and health, he said.

“The destruction that the youth have made since May, was a kind of expression of the frustration towards all of these social injustices,” he said.

“We are fighting for our humanity. So, it’s for the dignity of our humanity, and our humanity is the humanity of everyone.”

‘Neither marginalised nor mistreated’
The pro-France loyalists, however, have a different perspective.

“Contrary to what some separatists suggest, the Kanak people are neither marginalised nor mistreated,” they said in a statement.

“On the contrary, [Kanaky people are] one of the most advantaged in our Oceanian region.”

Wea said the Pacific leaders had the chance to hear from all sides involved in the unrest.

The findings will be presented to the 18 Pacific leaders at next year’s leaders meeting.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ troika, along with the Fiji’s prime minister, arrived in Kanaky New Caledonia at the weekend for a fact-finding mission on the French Pacific territory’s situation.

The troika plus format involves the PIF’s previous, current and future chairs.

They are mission leader Tonga Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, and representative of the Forum’s future chair, Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter-Shanel Agovaka (who takes part in place of Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele).

Fiji PM Sitiveni Rabuka is the “plus” component of the mission.

While Brown landed in Nouméa on Saturday, the rest of the PIF leaders touched down yesterday and were welcomed by New Caledonia’s highest officials, including local government President Louis Mapou, French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc and French Ambassador for the Pacific Véronique Roger-Lacan.

The regional leaders were also granted a full state protocol with a guard of honour, local media reported.

Charles Wéa, New Caledonia President Mapou’s adviser for international relations, told public broadcaster NC la 1ère at the weekend: “New Caledonia is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum and therefore is involved in everything that happens in the Pacific.”

“This mission comes in solidarity, to listen and see what are the possible ways to accompany our territory towards political and economic prospects.”

Upon return from their visit, the leaders are expected to prepare and submit a report to the next 54th Pacific Island Forum leaders’ summit, to be held in Solomon Islands from 8-12 September 2025.

Sunday programme: politics, economy, hospital
On Sunday, the Pacific leaders started their mission in earnest, going to the site of one of Nouméa’s large commercial centres, Kenu-Inn, near Nouméa, which was largely destroyed and looted during the May riots.

They also met there a delegation of business leaders who explained the heavy impact of the destruction, arson and looting, and its consequences on the local economy.

Local Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) leader David Guyenne told local media: “We, economic leaders, really wanted them to see for themselves what did happen, and this is beyond imagination in terms of devastation.”

“There has been a moment of shock of cataclysmic proportions for business owners, employees, families who have all suffered the consequences.”

He said he believed the PIF mission could bring a constructive contribution if they do not have “an ideological vision of what happened in New Caledonia . . . to really understand that what took place is an economic and social issue”.

“We will build again with time, a pragmatic approach without mixing politics, ideology and what happened,” he said.

“We are talking about [losing] 20 percent of New Caledonia’s gross domestic product (GDP); this has taken us 20 years backwards.

“This is the reality for people and companies.”

Earlier in the day, the leaders also held talks with Le Franc and Roger-Lacan.

They also went to New Caledonia’s main hospital, Médipôle, to hear about how the crucial centre was affected by riots and the impact this had on the public health system.

Later in the day, political talks went on at New Caledonia’s Congress, where they held talks with its President Veylma Falaéo.

“I am happy to see that each one of them came to bring their encouragement in these difficult times for us and in our current efforts for dialogue and reconciliation,” Falaéo said.

“I don’t think they were here to tell us what to do. They believe the solution can only come from us and to encourage us to pursue the way to unity, peace and dialogue.”

Political talks, meetings
Today, the leaders ares scheduled to pursue its mission with political talks and meetings with a wide panel of political parties from both the pro-independence and pro-France (loyalist) movements.

The high-level mission is being described as “strictly observational” and “in line with the request of the New Caledonia government, will follow the terms of reference, agreed by the French state, the government of New Caledonia and endorsed by the Forum Leaders”.

The mission followed a request from President Mapou following the breakout of riots on May 13.

The PIF mission was initially scheduled to take place before the Pacific Islands Forum annual leaders’ summit in Nuku’alofa in late August, but was postponed, due to what was described at the time as differences between New Caledonia’s government and its administrative power, France, on the mission’s terms of reference.

The Forum leaders group is supported by PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa and senior officials “with the guidance of the French state and New Caledonia government”, the Forum stated.

The Pacific region’s top political organisation said the troika-plus would tour Nouméa and meet stakeholders impacted by the recent unrest, including a wide spectrum of “New Caledonian political parties, youth”, and the “impacted communities from the private, health, and education sectors”.

“This mission to New Caledonia comes at a pivotal time, as it navigates complex political dynamics and seeks to address ongoing social and economic challenges in New Caledonia.

“By understanding local perspectives, the Forum can better support ongoing dialogue about New Caledonia’s future, all while respecting its current status.”

The sensitive terms of reference were finally agreed to during the PIF leaders’ summit in Tonga at the end of August.

In their final communiqué on August 30, PIF leaders mentioned the issue of New Caledonia in two paragraphs].

They “noted the update on the situation in New Caledonia by the President of the government of New Caledonia, Mapou, and reaffirmed their continued call for order and stability to prevail as well as their continued commitment to provide support as necessary to New Caledonia”.

They also “reaffirmed the commitment to deploy the high-level Forum troika plus mission to New Caledonia in line with the request of New Caledonia’s government and noted the agreement of the French State and the Government of New Caledonia on the Terms of Reference for the Forum Troika Mission”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A Kanak pastor from the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia, attending a Pacific solidarity forum in Aotearoa, says connecting with Pacific activists has given him the chance to feel hope again after months of riots in the French territory.

Reverend Billy Wetewea told RNZ Pacific on the sidelines of Te Hui Oranga o te Moana nui a Kiwa, a conference in Auckland this week, that the indigenous peoples of New Caledonia are fighting for their humanity and dignity.

He said being present in a room filled with Pacific peoples from countries across the region has reminded him that he is not alone.

“We are descendants of fierce warriors and navigators,” Wetewea said, adding that it “should give us the strength and fire to continue the legacy of those who have walked before us and passed away, for us to carry the fight for our next new generation.

“That is something that I felt strong here in Aotearoa.”

A Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ high-level “strictly observational” mission headed by the Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku arrived in Nouméa yesterday.

The delegation includes Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, along with Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Peter-Shanel Agovaka.

Almost 7000 security personnel with armoured vehicles have been deployed from mainland France to New Caledonia to quell further unrest.

Thirteen people have died since the violence broke out in May, including 11 Kanaks and two French police officers.

One hundred and sixty-nine people have been injured, and more than 2000 people have been arrested in the past five months.

This week, Rabuka said he would be taking a back seat during the mission and cautioned the Kanak leaders to “be very, very reasonable about what they’re asking for” form Paris, adding he told the Kanak independence movement when they started “don’t slap the hand that has fed you”.

“So have a good disassociation arrangement when you become independent, make sure you part as friends,” he added.

Reverend Wetewea said comments like Rabuka’s have led him to question the “neutrality” of the PIF mission.

“I am questioning, not the legitimacy of this visit, but the neutrality of it,” Wetewea said.

He wants to know if the leaders will be fair to what is really happening in his homeland.

Reverend Wetewea said the issue that led to the PIF mission being deferred in August, was around tensions between local government and Paris.

He said New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou reminded Pacific leaders he was the one who had called for the meeting in the first place, and that the PIF was going to New Caledonia at his request as a full member of PIF, which Paris is not.

“I hope that [the programme] will also fairly represent all the people in New Caledonia, especially the community on the ground, the youth and the mothers who are struggling in the community and on the ground,” he said.

When asked if he had hope, Rev Wetewea replied: “We need hope.”

“We are hope because we are still alive and we are still fighting, but our hope is toward a country that will be developed for the wellbeing of everyone in the country,” he said.

“In our discussion with the youth and the community we are involved in, it is not only when we speak about our fight as Kanak people. It is not only for the Kanaks.

“We are fighting for our humanity.”

The Pacific leaders’ three-day mission from October 27-29 is supported by the PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa and senior officials, with the guidance of the French State and New Caledonia government.

According to the PIF, they will tour Nouméa and visit with stakeholders impacted by the recent unrest, including New Caledonian political parties, youth, and the impacted communities and dialogues with the private, health, and education sectors.

Hu’akavameiliku told RNZ Pacific he was not going to preempt any solutions whatsoever.

New Caledonia government spokesperson Charles Wea told RNZ Pacific leaders would have the chance to hear from all sides involved in the unrest.

A document will then be drafted on their findings, which will be taken to the PIF foreign ministers meeting.

Following that, the findings will be presented to the PIF members in Solomon Islands at next years leaders meeting, where a decision on how the Pacific will engage going forward will be made.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

France has been criticised for the “alarming” death toll in New Caledonia during recent protests and its “cold shower” approach to decolonisation by experts of the UN Human Rights Committee.

The UN committee met this week in Geneva for France’s five-yearly human rights review with a focus on its Pacific territory, after peaceful protests over electoral changes turned violent leaving 13 people dead since May.

French delegates at the hearing defended the country’s actions and rejected the jurisdiction of the UN decolonisation process, saying the country “no longer has any international obligations”.

A delayed fact-finding mission of Pacific Islands Forum leaders is due to arrive in New Caledonia this weekend to assess the situation on behalf of the region’s peak regional inter-governmental body.

Almost 7000 security personnel with armoured vehicles have been deployed from France to New Caledonia to quell further unrest.

“The means used and the intensity of their response and the gravity of the violence reported, as well as the amount of dead and wounded, are particularly alarming,” said committee member Jose Santo Pais, assistant Prosecutor-General of the Portuguese Constitutional Court.

“There have been numerous allegations regarding an excessive use of force and that would have led to numerous deaths among the Kanak people and law enforcement,” the committee’s vice-chair said on Wednesday.

Months of protests
Violence erupted after months of protests over a unilateral attempt by President Emmanuel Macron to “unfreeze” the territory’s electoral roll. Indigenous Kanaks feared the move would dilute their voting power and any chance of success at another independence referendum.

Eleven Kanaks and two French police have died. The committee heard 169 people were wounded and 2658 arrested in the past five months.

New Caledonia’s economy is in ruins with hundreds of businesses destroyed, tens-of-thousands left jobless and the local government seeking 4 billion euros (US$4.33 billion) in recovery funds from France.

France’s reputation has been left battered as an out-of-touch colonial power since the deadly violence erupted.

Santos Pais questioned France’s commitment to the UN Declaration on Indigenous People and the “sufficient dialogue” required under the Nouméa Accord, a peace agreement signed in 1998 to politically empower Kanak people, that enabled the decolonisation process.

“It would seem that current violence in the territory is linked to the lack of progress in decolonisation,” said Santos Pais.

Last week, the new French Prime Minister announced controversial electoral changes that sparked the protests had been abandoned. Local elections, due to be held this year, will now take place at the end of 2025.

Pacific mission
Tomorrow, Tonga’s prime minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni will lead a Pacific “observational” mission to New Caledonia of fellow leaders from Cook Islands, Fiji and Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs, together known as the “Troika-Plus”.

The PIF leaders’ three-day visit to the capital Nouméa will see them meet with local political parties, youth and community groups, private sector and public service providers.

“Our thoughts have always been with the people of New Caledonia since the unrest earlier this year, and we continue to offer our support,” Sovaleni said in a statement on Friday.

The UN committee is a treaty body composed of 18 experts that regularly reviews compliance by 173 member states with their human rights obligations and is separate from the Human Rights Council, a political body composed of states.

Serbian committee member Tijana Surlan asked France for an update on investigations into injuries and fatalities “related to alleged excessive use of force” in New Caledonia. She asked if police firearms use would be reviewed “to strike a better balance with the principles of absolute necessity and strict proportionality.”

France’s delegation responded saying it was “committed to renewing dialogue” in New Caledonia and to striking a balance between the right to demonstrate and protecting people and property with the “principle of proportionality.”

Alleged intimidation by French authorities of at least five journalists covering the unrest in New Caledonia was highlighted by committee member Kobauyah Tchamdja Kapatcha from Togo. France responded saying it guarantees freedom of the press.

France rejects ‘obligations’
The French delegation led by Ambassador for Human Rights Isabelle Rome added it “no longer administers a non-self-governing territory.”

France “no longer has any international obligations in this regard linked to its membership in the United Nations”, she told the committee on Thursday.

New Caledonia voted by modest majorities to remain part of France in referendums held in 2018 and 2020 under a UN-mandated decolonisation process. Three referendums were part of the Nouméa Accord to increase Kanaks’ political power following deadly violence in the 1980s.

A contentious final referendum in 2021 was overwhelmingly in favor of continuing with the status quo. Supporters of independence rejected its legitimacy due to a very low turnout — it was boycotted by Kanak political parties — and because it was held during a serious phase of the covid-19 pandemic, which restricted campaigning.

“France, through the referendum of September [2021], has therefore completed the process of decolonisation of its former colonies,” ambassador Rome said. She added that New Caledonia was one of the most advanced examples of the French government recognising indigenous rights, with a shared governance framework.

Another of its Pacific territories — French Polynesia — was re-inscribed on the UN decolonisation list in 2013 but France refuses to recognise its jurisdiction.

No change in policy
After a decade, France began attending General Assembly Decolonisation Committee meetings in 2023 to “promote dialogue” and that it was not a “change in [policy] direction”, Rome said.

“There is no process between the French state and the Polynesian territory that reserves a role for the United Nations,” she added.

Santos Pais responded saying, “what a cold shower”.

“The General Assembly will certainly have a completely different view from the one that was presented to us,” he said.

Earlier this month pro-independence French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told the UN Decolonisation Committee’s annual meeting in New York that “after a decade of silence” France must be “guided” to participate in “dialogue.”

The Human Rights Committee is due to meet again next month to adopt its findings on France.

Copyright ©2015-2024, BenarNews. Republished with the permission of BenarNews.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is cautioning New Caledonia’s local government to “be reasonable” in its requests from Paris ahead of a Pacific fact-finding mission.

A much-anticipated high-level visit by Pacific leaders to the French territory is confirmed, after it was postponed by New Caledonia’s local government in August due to allegations France was pushing its own agenda.

President Louis Mapou has confirmed the Pacific leaders’ mission will take place from October 27-29.

Rabuka is one of the four Pacific leaders taking part in the so-called “Troika Plus” mission and confirmed he will be in Nouméa on Sunday.

He told RNZ Pacific during his visit to Aotearoa last week that as “an old hand in Pacific leadership”, listening was key.

“I’m hoping that they will be very, very reasonable about what they’re asking for,” the prime minister said.

“When they started, the Kanaky movement started during my time as Prime Minister. I told them, ‘look, don’t slap the hand that has fed you’.

‘Good disassociation arrangement’
“So have a good disassociation arrangement when you become independent, make sure you part as friends.”

This week, Rabuka told RNZ Pacific in Apia that he would be taking a back seat during the mission.

Veteran Pacific journalist Nick Maclellan, who is in New Caledonia, said there was “significant concern” that political leaders in France did not understand the depth of the crisis.

“This crisis is unresolved, and I think as Pacific leaders arrive this week, they’ll have to look beyond the surface calm to realise that there are many issues that still have to play out in the months to come,” he said.

He said there appeared to be “a tension” between the local government of New Caledonia and the French authorities about the purpose of Pacific leaders’ mission.

“In the past, French diplomats have suggested that the Forum is welcome to come, to condemn violence, to address the question of reconstruction and so on,” he said.

“But I sense a reluctance to address issues around France’s responsibility for decolonisation.

‘Important moment’
“The very fact that four prime ministers are coming, not diplomats, not ministers, not just officials, but four prime ministers of Forum member countries, shows that this is an important moment for regional engagement,” he added.

In a statement on Friday, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat said that the prime ministers of Tonga and the Cook Islands, along with Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister, would join Rabuka to travel to New Caledonia.

Tongan PM Hu’akavameiliku will head the mission, which is expected to land in Nouméa after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa this week.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says he will take a back seat in the upcoming Pacific leaders’ fact-finding mission to New Caledonia, which was postponed from earlier in the year.

Leaders from the Cook Islands, Tonga, and Solomon Islands make up a group called the Pacific Islands Forum troika, comprising past, present and future hosts of the annual PIF leaders’ meeting.

The call for a PIF fact-finding mission was made while Fiji was still part of the troika.

Rabuka spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron the week before the mission was originally scheduled to take place.

When asked by RNZ Pacific why the trip had been postponed, Rabuka replied: “I do not know. I’m just the troika-plus.”

Moments after touching down in Samoa, Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was bestowed the chiefly title, Tagaloa in Samoa’s Leauva’a village. #CHOGM2024 pic.twitter.com/zzrNqgc1u0

— Susana Suisuiki (@SanaSuisuikiRNZ) October 23, 2024

Rabuka, who is currently in Apia for the 27th Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), was bestowed with a Samoan matai title of Tagaloa by the village of Leauva’a yesterday.

He confirmed to RNZ Pacific that he would be in Nouméa on Sunday.

“We will be talking about the future of negotiations and the relationship between New Caledonia and the people and France,” he said.

PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa told RNZ Pacific that supporting peace and harmony in New Caledonia was top of the agenda for the leaders’ mission.

Waqa, who is also attending CHOGM, said an advance team was in Nouméa making preparations for the visit.

Violence and destruction has been ongoing in New Caledonia for much of the past five months in protest over French plans for the territory.

The death toll stands at 13.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz