New Caledonia police arrest independence leader and seven others after uprising against French rule

PARIS (AP) — Police in France’s restive Pacific territory of New Caledonia arrested eight people, including an independence leader, on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in deadly violence in the archipelago, where the indigenous Kanak people have long sought to break away from France.

The early morning raid was part of an ongoing police investigation launched on May 17, just days after the first unrest erupted, sparking a wave of armed clashes, looting, fires and other violence that turned parts of the capital Nouméa and its suburbs into restricted areas.

New Caledonia’s prosecutor, Yves Dupas, said in a statement that eight people were arrested in Noumea and the suburbs of Mont-Dore starting at 6 a.m. He said those arrested included Christian Tein, the leader of a pro-independence group that French authorities say played a leading role in weeks of violence that erupted in New Caledonia in May over controversial electoral reforms. Dupas did not identify the seven other people arrested.

The uprising prompted France to declare a state of emergency in the archipelago and immediately reinforce police forces, which were quickly overwhelmed. The violence left nine people dead, including two gendarmes, and led to massive destruction of shops, businesses and homes.

The prosecutor said Wednesday’s arrests were part of a police investigation into a wide range of alleged crimes, including aiding and abetting manslaughter and attempted manslaughter, armed robbery, arson and membership in a group formed to prepare acts of violence. The potential charges allow investigators to hold detainees for up to 96 hours for questioning, he said. After that, an investigating judge must decide whether police have gathered enough evidence to justify formal charges.

While France is currently in the midst of a feverish campaign for early parliamentary elections, French President Emmanuel Macron has suspended reforms that would have changed electoral law in New Caledonia.

As unrest begins to subside, the French Pacific territory this week shortened its night-time curfew by two hours, moving its start from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and reopened its international airport, which had been closed to commercial flights for over a month.