The French government sent more police to the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Thursday and said it would crack down on rioters, scrambling to restore order after three nights of upheaval that have killed four people.
Rioters angry with an electoral reform have burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops, and set up road barricades, causing a “dire situation” for access to medicine and food in the French-ruled Pacific island, authorities said.
“Everything’s burning, people have literally no limits, because they are literally shooting at each other, I’ve never seen this much violence,” New Caledonia student Olivia Iloa said.
France declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia and went on to put at least 10 people under house arrest and ban TikTok.
Numbers of police and gendarmes in New Caledonia will rise from 1,700 to 2,700 by Friday evening, with a small number of soldiers assisting.
