William Molinié // Photo credit: Delphine Mayeur / AFP
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7:28 a.m., May 21, 2024
“Clear progress” in the situation in New Caledonia, according to Emmanuel Macron after the Defense Council on Monday evening. Calm has still not returned, soldiers will be deployed to protect public buildings to allow security forces to continue their maneuver. The challenge is to restore traffic between the airport and Nouméa.
It is a strategic axis in New Caledonia. 60 kilometers of territorial road connect the tarmac of the international airport to the capital. Nearly 80 roadblocks were lifted thanks to the reinforcement of 600 gendarmes who arrived on site. But the entire route must now be secured before traffic can be restored and reconnect the archipelago to the rest of the world.
The dispatch from the Metropolis of Centaure vehicles of the gendarmerie is being studied
Australia and New Zealand have demanded the ability to land planes to repatriate their nationals. Some portions of the road were completely destroyed by the rioters. It is therefore necessary to clear away the carcasses of the cars and sometimes temporarily rebuild the road: “All under the threat of new ambushes from armed gangs”, specifies a military source.
According to information from Europe 1, the sending of Centaure gendarmerie vehicles from the Metropolis is being studied. These new armored vehicles are equipped with shot launch radars. But above all they can transport troops in complete safety. The GIGN mainly focuses on tracking down the leaders of the riots. Targeted operations to then hand them over to justice.
In a circular, the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, called for rapid judgments and heavy sanctions against the looters, even if it meant transferring the most dangerous of them by plane to the Metropolis.