T
he proposed agreement on the future of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which was signed on July 12 in the western Paris region town of Bougival by the French overseas territories minister, Manuel Valls, and representatives from the territory's six pro and anti-independence delegations, bears the subtitle "A Bet on Trust." That bet, which was too quickly celebrated as a success, now appears to have been lost, after the congress of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS, with Kanak being the Indigenous people of New Caledonia) decided, in a statement that was made public on Wednesday, August 13, to reject the compromise agreement.
Emmanuel Tjibaou, a French MP and president of the Union Calédonienne, the main component of the FLNKS, did sign the draft agreement in Bougival. But the text was swiftly challenged by the group's activists and rejected by FLNKS President Christian Tein ahead of the organization's vote to reject it.
Just over a year after riots, which left 14 people dead and plunged New Caledonia into chaos, broke out on May 13, 2024, the French Pacific Ocean territory's future once again hangs in the balance.
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