Jacques Billant, 65, was appointed as the new French High Commissioner in New Caledonia on April 9 2025 Photo: Pool
The French government has appointed a new High Commissioner in New Caledonia to replace Louis Le Franc.
The decision came as part of the latest Cabinet meeting of the French government on Wednesday.
The new appointee is Jacques Billant, 65, whose career involves a long stint in the French military (when he served in ex-Yugoslavia within the United Nations' protection force) but also as chief of staff in a previous Justice Minister's office (2008-2009).
Billant, married and the father of four, later served as prefect in the French overseas departments of Guadeloupe (French Caribbean) and La Réunion (Indian Ocean).
His current posting is prefect of the French mainland department of Pas-de-Calais (North-western France). There, in 2022, he also replaced Le Franc at the time.
Former French High Commissioner in New Caledonia Photo: Screenshot/Facebook
Since he took up his post in New Caledonia in February 2023, Le Franc has been faced with two major situations: firstly, the management of the Covid crisis in New Caledonia and even more significant the insurrectional riots that broke out starting 13 May 2024, the worst in over forty years.
He had to manage the imposition of a curfew which lasted until late 2024 and heavy restrictions on public meetings and related bans.
New Caledonia's 2024 riots caused 14 dead, hundreds of injured, thousands of job losses and an overall financial cost estimated at some €2.2 billion.
Le Franc's replacement comes at a pivotal time as French minister for Overseas Manuel Valls is expected back in New Caledonia on 29 April for his third trip in two months.
French minister for Overseas Manuel Valls Photo: Assemblée Nationale
The aim is to engage all local political parties into "negotiations" and a possible agreement regarding New Caledonia's political and institutional future status.
The two more recent sequences of "discussions" with Valls involving all political stakeholders in New Caledonia, in February and March 2025, took place at the French High Commission in Nouméa behind closed doors.
A working document on a potential agreement, still subject to amendments from all sides as part of future "negotiations", has so far remained secret.
Local reactions
Le Franc's removal has been a recurrent demand from New Caledonia's hard-line pro-independence parties.
On social networks, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS)'s official page posted a brief "At last!"
A more moderate fringe of the pro-independence movement, the UNI (Union Nationale pour l'Indépendance), a caucus gathering UPM (Union Progressiste en Mélanésie) and PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party), commented by acknowledging that under the difficult circumstances, the outgoing High commissioner "has tried to do the best he could".
On the pro-France side of the political landscape, Les Loyalistes leader Sonia Backès on Thursday paid homage to "an excellent High Commissioner."
Vocal pro-France leader and French MP for New Caledonia Nicolas Metzdorf expressed gratitude for Le Franc's "commitment in one of the most difficult periods (New Caledonia) has undergone for decades".
Metzdorf said through his management and security-focused response to the 2024 crisis in New Caledonia, Le Franc "has saved lives."
He also interprets Billant's appointment as France's choice of someone "firm with a fine knowledge of the stakes related to French Overseas."
Le Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach deplored the loss of "a man of value" "at a crucial time."
She hinted that Le Franc would probably leave New Caledonia at the beginning of May 2025.
However, Billant's exact arrival date has not been disclosed as yet, even though the French High Commission, in an official release, mentions a possible handover "within the coming weeks."
Agreement "still possible": French PM
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, French Prime minister François Bayrou expressed hope that an agreement between all political stakeholders in New Caledonia remained "possible."
"Failing that, (New Caledonia) will not be able to recover", he told MPs at the French Senate in Paris.
"I wish for an agreement to be found, and I believe it can be found", Bayrou said.
He was answering New Caledonia's indigenous Kanak pro-independence Senator Robert Xowie during written question time.
He however acknowledged that central to the forthcoming talks was the "question of self-determination."
Bayrou also put in the balance several factors that will have to be reconciled: the fact that recent referendums on New Caledonia's self-determination have resulted in three rejections of independence for the French Pacific territory.
However, the third and latest consultation, in December 2021, suffered in credibility due to a massive boycott mainly from the pro-independence part of the population.
"The options are now on the table. You know what they are, and I am aware of the aspirations for New Caledonia's full sovereignty," Bayrou said in his response to the pro-independence Senator.
In a confidential document released only to participating parties after the second round of talks, on 1 April 2025, the main pillars envisaged for a future agreement included the issues of self-determination, a model for future governance, conditions of eligibility to a future New Caledonia citizenship and for the right to vote at local elections and the transfer of France's remaining sovereign powers in New Caledonia (defence, public order, currency, foreign affairs).
