Unrest in New Caledonia: Man shot dead by police after attack by demonstrators – Public Prosecutor

A day after President Emmanuel Macron visited the French-ruled Pacific island to try to ease tensions, police shot dead a man in unrest-hit New Caledonia on Friday evening, local media reported, citing the local prosecutor’s office.

The police officer used his weapon when he and a colleague were attacked by a group of about 15 people before the shot was fired, broadcaster NC La 1ere quoted the prosecutor as saying.

The public prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The death of the 48-year-old, which was also reported by other local media, brought the death toll in the 12 days of unrest to seven. The riots were triggered by a controversial electoral reform that was fueled by the large economic disparities between the indigenous Kanak population and people of European descent.

During a one-day visit on Thursday, Macron pressed pause on the reform, which would grant voting rights to thousands more French people who have lived in New Caledonia for the past decade, diluting the vote of the Kanaks, who make up 41 percent of the population.

04:58

“It’s a civil war”: French New Caledonia declares state of emergency amid independence protests

“It’s a civil war”: French New Caledonia declares state of emergency amid independence protests

While he did not respond to calls by pro-independence supporters to withdraw the agreement entirely, he said he would use the next few weeks to try to reach an overall political agreement on the island’s future.

The French government has deployed thousands of additional police officers in recent days to restore calm. Authorities had previously said the situation was “relatively calm.”

Police removed around 100 roadblocks across New Caledonia on Friday.

According to census data, the island territory is characterized by great economic inequalities. According to the 2019 census, the poverty rate among the indigenous Kanaks, the largest community, is 32.5 percent, compared to 9 percent among non-Kanaks.

France colonized New Caledonia in 1853 and made the colony an overseas territory in 1946 and granted rights to the Kanaks.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse