Gerald Darmanin said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday that “a major police operation has been carried out successfully” in the Rivière-Salé district of Noumea, the last area of the New Caledonian capital to be under control control of protesters.
Darmanin said 400 members of French and New Caledonian security forces were involved in the operation, including members of France’s elite anti-terrorism and organized crime police unit and its counterparts from the French army.
During the operation, 12 people were arrested and 26 roadblocks were dismantled and cleared, the minister said.
The violence erupted on May 13 in response to attempts by French President Emmanuel Macron’s government to amend the French constitution and alter electoral rolls in New Caledonia.
France declared a state of emergency in its Pacific territory on May 15 and sent hundreds of reinforcements to help police quell the riot, which included shooting, clashes, looting and arson.
Both sides of New Caledonia’s bitter divide – local Kanaks who want independence and those loyal to France – have erected barricades, either to rebel against the authorities or to protect their homes and property.
Pro-independence protesters built barricades from charred vehicles and other debris, turning parts of the capital Noumea into no-go zones.
French President Emmanuel Macron decided on Monday to lift the state of emergency in New Caledonia to help facilitate dialogue between local parties and French authorities on the future of the archipelago’s 270,000 inhabitants and restoring peace.
Independence parties and Kanak leaders have called on Macron to withdraw the electoral reform bill if France wants to “end the crisis”.
Opponents fear the ballot legislation will favor pro-French politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the local Kanak, who have long sought freedom from French rule amid stark economic disparities and decades of discrimination.
Although violence has eased in recent days, tensions remain as pro-independence leaders urged supporters to “remain mobilized” and “maintain resistance” against France.
Although the emergency measures were lifted, the evening and night curfew is still in effect.
Travel is prohibited in New Caledonia between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., except for health emergencies, and the ban on public gatherings, the transportation and carrying of weapons, and the sale of alcohol remains in place.
La Tontouta’s main international airport will remain closed to commercial traffic until at least Monday, and schools will not resume operations until mid-June, according to local authorities.
New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon’s nephew and successor.
After the Second World War it became an overseas territory, and in 1957 all Kanaks received French citizenship.
