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On May 8, 2024, French efforts to create a new political agreement for New Caledonia failed.
The talks were led by French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls.
This failure has led to major political uncertainty in the territory.
Current Status of New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a French island territory in the Southwest Pacific with around 2.7 lakh people.
The 1998 Nouméa Accord gave it partial self-rule and aimed to resolve tensions between the French state and indigenous Kanak people.
Three independence referendums were held (2018, 2020, 2021) — all rejected independence, but the last one was boycotted by pro-independence groups, making it controversial.
Why Is Independence Still Demanded?
France colonised New Caledonia in 1853, using it as a penal colony.
The Kanak people have long opposed French rule, and in the 1980s, it almost led to a civil war.
The FLNKS (Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front) was formed to push for independence.
The Nouméa Accord gave New Caledonia special status, local governance powers, and limited voting rights to long-term residents — a key demand of the Kanaks.
However, the boycott of the last referendum and unresolved issues left the status of the territory in limbo.
Why Did the Recent Talks Fail?
France proposed unfreezing the electoral roll (changing who can vote), which angered the pro-independence side and led to riots in May 2024 (14 killed, hundreds injured).
France tried to offer a "third way": a model called “sovereignty in partnership”, where New Caledonia would get more control but still be linked to France.
Hardline loyalists rejected the plan, calling it “disguised independence”.
Instead, they proposed a partition: the South (loyalist-majority) to stay French, and the North and Loyalty Islands (pro-independence) to get a separate status.
Both France and the pro-independence groups rejected this idea, calling it divisive and discriminatory.
What Happens Next?
With the collapse of the talks, provincial elections due in November 2025 will go ahead without any political consensus.
The territory's future remains uncertain, and tensions between France and the Kanak people are expected to continue.
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