A Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C-130 takes off from Whenuapai air base close to Auckland, New Zealand, certain for Noumea, New Caledonia, on a mercy mission to rescue stranded New Zealand vacationers on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Michael Craig/NZ Herald by way of AP
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Michael Craig/NZ Herald by way of AP
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C-130 takes off from Whenuapai air base close to Auckland, New Zealand, certain for Noumea, New Caledonia, on a mercy mission to rescue stranded New Zealand vacationers on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Michael Craig/NZ Herald by way of AP
NEWCASTLE, Australia — Australia and New Zealand despatched airplanes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to begin bringing house stranded residents from the violence-wracked French South Pacific territory.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated Australia had obtained clearance from French authorities for 2 flights to evacuate residents from the archipelago, the place indigenous individuals have lengthy sought independence from France.
Hours later, a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules touched down in Noumea, the capital. The aircraft can carry 124 passengers, in keeping with the Defense Department.
“We continue to work on further flights,” Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs stated 300 Australians had been in New Caledonia. It didn’t instantly verify whether or not the Australian-organized flights would additionally evacuate different stranded international nationals, believed to quantity in the 1000’s.
New Zealand’s authorities additionally introduced that it had despatched a aircraft to New Caledonia to begin evacuating about 50 of its residents.
“New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days — and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters stated. “In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days.”
Noumea’s worldwide airport stays closed to industrial flights. Its reopening might be reassessed on Thursday.
Violence has turned elements of capital into no-go zones
At least six individuals have died and tons of extra have been injured since violence erupted final week in New Caledonia following controversial electoral reforms handed in Paris.
About 270 suspected rioters have been arrested as of Tuesday, and a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew is in impact for the archipelago of about 270,000 individuals, which is a well-liked vacationer vacation spot with its idyllic seashores and local weather.
France has despatched in over a thousand safety personnel, with tons of extra as a consequence of arrive Tuesday, to attempt to quell the unrest and restore management.
Armed clashes, looting, arson and different violence turned elements of Noumea into no-go zones. Columns of smoke billowed into the sky, hulks of burned vehicles littered roads, companies and outlets had been ransacked and buildings grew to become smoking ruins.
There have been many years of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who’re searching for independence and descendants of colonizers who wish to stay a part of France.
The unrest erupted May 13 because the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make modifications to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly in Paris authorized a invoice that will, amongst different modifications, enable residents who’ve lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to forged ballots in provincial elections.
Opponents worry the measure will profit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and additional marginalize Kanaks who as soon as suffered from strict segregation insurance policies and widespread discrimination.