France admits it’s lost control of parts of New Caledonia, the world’s third-largest producer of EV metal nickel
Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 8:05 pm
France admits it’s lost control of parts of New Caledonia, the world’s third-largest producer of critical EV metal nickel
Read more here:
https://fortune.com/asia/2024/05/17/fra ... al-nickel/
The French government is moving to regain full control of the Pacific territory of New Caledonia, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc said, as extra security forces arrive in the archipelago to end a week of violent protests by pro-independence groups.
Le Franc said new security deployments, after French President Emmanuel Macron’s government declared a state of emergency, would help reassert control following violence that left behind burned cars, torched stores and improvised barricades along roads.
“Restoring order and calm to New Caledonia is our priority,” the Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in a statement on Friday.
The government said it was flying in 1,000 more security personnel from France in addition to the 1,700 already present. It is also setting up air connections to send food and basic goods to the population.
Protests erupted after the National Assembly passed a bill that would allow some French residents of the islands to vote, potentially diluting the power of the indigenous electorate. New Caledonia held a referendum on independence in 2021 that overwhelmingly voted to stay with France after key local groups boycotted the ballot.
“Significant reinforcements will be arriving,” the high commissioner told reporters on Friday. They will help restore authority in “areas that have escaped us in recent days, where control is no longer assured.”
The violence has disrupted nickel production, a key industry for the territory, hitting miners including French firm Eramet SA. The protests were not directed against resource companies.
The territory was the world’s third-biggest producer of the battery metal last year, accounting for around 6% of global output, according to the US Geological Survey.
Read more here:
https://fortune.com/asia/2024/05/17/fra ... al-nickel/
The French government is moving to regain full control of the Pacific territory of New Caledonia, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc said, as extra security forces arrive in the archipelago to end a week of violent protests by pro-independence groups.
Le Franc said new security deployments, after French President Emmanuel Macron’s government declared a state of emergency, would help reassert control following violence that left behind burned cars, torched stores and improvised barricades along roads.
“Restoring order and calm to New Caledonia is our priority,” the Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in a statement on Friday.
The government said it was flying in 1,000 more security personnel from France in addition to the 1,700 already present. It is also setting up air connections to send food and basic goods to the population.
Protests erupted after the National Assembly passed a bill that would allow some French residents of the islands to vote, potentially diluting the power of the indigenous electorate. New Caledonia held a referendum on independence in 2021 that overwhelmingly voted to stay with France after key local groups boycotted the ballot.
“Significant reinforcements will be arriving,” the high commissioner told reporters on Friday. They will help restore authority in “areas that have escaped us in recent days, where control is no longer assured.”
The violence has disrupted nickel production, a key industry for the territory, hitting miners including French firm Eramet SA. The protests were not directed against resource companies.
The territory was the world’s third-biggest producer of the battery metal last year, accounting for around 6% of global output, according to the US Geological Survey.