Movement behind New Caledonia unrest announces continued mobilization

The CCAT said in a press release that during the closed-door session held on July 27-28, it recorded “the maintenance of peaceful mobilization (…) as long as it does not involve the question of unfreezing the electoral institutions. Once and for all, it was abolished.”

“On the 13th of every month, in every mobilization point across the country,” specific actions will be carried out to commemorate May 13, the day “the uprising began.”

CCAT also called for a congress of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), which brings together the vast majority of the independence movement but is not itself a member of it.

This congress must be “open to everyone”, “must take place before the end of August” and “recognize CCAT as a grassroots structure and shoulder the consequences of grassroots action together with all the political parties that make up the[FLNKS]”.

The Kanak Alliance (CCAT) was created in late 2023 by the Caledonian Union (UC), one of the main components of the FLNKS, but has never been recognized by the other main movement of the front, the more moderate Party for the Liberation of Kanak (Palika).

A section of CCAT was very critical of the FLNKS and even called for its disbandment, but the Assembly did not seem to keep that option open.

However, the movement noted in its press release that “the Front’s governance is considered a failure and this is a fundamental problem”, proposed its leader Christian Tain as a candidate for the presidency of FLNKS and demanded his release.

Suspected by the court of sponsoring the violence that has rocked the French South Pacific territory since May 13, causing 10 deaths and more than 2.2 billion euros in damages, 13 CCAT members, including Christian Tain, were indicted, in particular for conspiracy to commit attempted murder and criminal association.

Seven of the independence activists were held in pre-trial detention in mainland prisons, before two were released under judicial supervision and fitted with electronic bracelets, still 17,000km from Le Caillou.

Meanwhile, the High Commission of the Republic of New Caledonia announced on Friday that the curfew in New Caledonia, which is still plagued by sporadic violence, has been extended to August 12.