New Caledonia

Police brutality will further escalate tensions between pro-independence activists and French security forces in New Caledonia, a senior church leader in Nouméa says.

This is after a disturbing video was posted in a neighbourhood watch Facebook group, allegedly implicating them in acts of severe violence against a person they had just arrested.

In-depth - New Caledonia has been the scene of deadly and destructive riots since 13 May 2024.

The state of emergency ended at 5am on Tuesday, Nouméa time.

Analysis - Macron departed after a whirlwind day of political meetings, but left behind 3000 security personnel and some members of his entourage.

President Emmanuel Macron landed in Nouméa Thursday morning under heavy security. He says his top priority is for the French Pacific territory to return to peace.

Liberation "must come" for New Caledonia, says a Kiwi journalist who has worked consistently across the French territories. Audio

A New Zealand government plane is heading to New Caledonia in the next hour, to assist with bringing New Zealanders home.

An alliance of over two dozen Pacific non-government organisations has condemned France for what they say is a "betrayal" of New Caledonia's Kanak population.

The young people on the streets in New Caledonia are saying they will "never give up" pushing back on France's hold on the territory, a Kanak journalist in Nouméa says.

French police reinforcements have started arriving in New Caledonia as part of a massive operation to regain control of the capital Nouméa, says the top French official in the Pacific island…