France lifts state of emergency in New Caledonia

French authorities are lifting the state of emergency in New Caledonia, declared on May 15 following the protests, the office of the High Commissioner of New Caledonia said, Azernews reports.

The decision to lift the state of emergency was made due to the stabilization of the situation. The state of emergency is lifted effective May 28, 5:00 local time, while the curfew will still be in effect.

Additionally, law enforcement will maintain a state of heightened readiness.

To note, protests recently occurred in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean, highlighting issues such as social unrest, unemployment, and discrimination. A clash between protesters and police resulted in the deaths of two police officers and three protesters.

Despite being located 16,000 kilometers away from France in the Pacific Ocean near the Australian continent, New Caledonia remains a French colony and is subject to exploitation, leading to protests from the local population.