French Minister Blames Azerbaijan for Fueling New Caledonian Riots

France has accused Azerbaijan of exacerbating the violent unrest in its overseas territory, New Caledonia.

The state of emergency was declared on Wednesday in response to the escalating violence, which has resulted in the deaths of three indigenous Kanak people and a police officer.

The clashes between demonstrators and police have been ongoing, with tensions heightened by allegations of foreign interference.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has accused Azerbaijan of supporting the unrest. “This isn’t a fantasy,” he asserted on Thursday. “I regret that some of the separatists have made a deal with Azerbaijan.”

Despite these allegations, Darmanin emphasised France’s sovereignty over its territory.

A French intelligence official, speaking anonymously to POLITICO, confirmed that activities from Russia and Azerbaijan had been detected in New Caledonia for several months. These activities allegedly aim to promote the narrative of France as a colonialist state.

In response, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada strongly denied the accusations. “Instead of accusing Azerbaijan of allegedly supporting pro-independence protests in New Caledonia, the Minister of the Interior of France should focus on his country’s failed policy towards the overseas territories that led to such protests,” Hajizada said.

The relationship between France and Azerbaijan has deteriorated in recent years, largely due to French support for Armenia, Azerbaijan’s neighbour and historic rival.

This tension has been further strained by Azerbaijan’s military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year.

The latest accusations are expected to increase scrutiny on Azerbaijan’s international activities and its domestic political practices, especially as it prepares to host the COP29 U.N. climate talks.

New Caledonia is ablaze: lootings, violence, fear of barricaded residents

The unrest in New Caledonia has reignited calls for independence in the Pacific archipelago, located 1,200 kilometres east of Australia.

The protests have been partly fuelled by recent changes to New Caledonia’s constitution, approved by French MPs, which allow any resident of ten years or more to vote in local elections.

Pro-independence Kanak activists fear this move will dilute their influence.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly accused France of “neo-colonialism” and has supported various independence movements and claims over French territories, including New Caledonia and Mayotte.

Azerbaijan has established the Baku Initiative Group, which unites 14 political movements from former French colonies under the banner of decolonisation.

This group recently accused France of “infringing upon the Kanak people’s right to self-determination by expanding the electorate to keep them a minority in their own homeland.”

Philippe Gomes, former president of New Caledonia’s government, has claimed that Azerbaijan is funding the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front.

“Azerbaijan created the Baku group that funds separatists in all overseas French regions,” Gomes stated, noting that recent trips to Paris by independence activists were financed by Baku. He labelled these activities as clear foreign interference.

However, Roch Wamytan, president of the Congress of New Caledonia and a Kanak politician, has dismissed these allegations. “Why demonise this country?” he questioned, highlighting France’s own support for repressive regimes in countries like Togo, Chad, and Djibouti. Wamytan argued that France’s actions in New Caledonia were hypocritical given its international alliances.

In response to the unrest, France has imposed stringent measures as part of the state of emergency. These include banning TikTok in New Caledonia to disrupt protest organisation, authorising house arrests for those deemed a threat to public order, and allowing authorities to conduct searches, seize weapons, and suspend the right to free assembly.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stated that “no violence will be tolerated,” and the measures would support efforts to restore order.

New Caledonia, with a population of over a quarter-million people, was first settled around 3,000 years ago by Pacific Islanders and named by British explorer James Cook in 1774. It became a French territory in 1853.

The indigenous Kanak people have faced long-standing issues of systemic discrimination and underdevelopment, which have fuelled their calls for independence.