The French colony of New Caledonia is an island north of New Zealand. It is the world’s third-largest producer of nickel.
The island is 41% native Kanak; however, voter rolls have been frozen since 1998. This was done to maintain a majority Kanak voter base. However, the French government voted to expand the voter rolls and include more French residents. The island immediately exploded with race riots.
At least three Kanak and one police officer have been killed. Dozens of other people have been injured. The territory is now under martial law, and France is blocking access to TikTok.
France is accusing Azerbaijan of fomenting the riots. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating, “We completely reject the baseless accusations.”
