Category: France

Issued on: 20/03/2026 – 15:14

2 min Reading time

With 396 million speakers worldwide in 2025 compared to standard Arabic’s 335 million, French comes in behind English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish as one of the world’s most used languages, according to figures from the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF).

People in France make up only 66 million of the total, says the organisation, which is dedicated to promoting the French language and ties between French-speaking countries.

Nearly 65 percent of French speakers live on the African continent. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest number, with just over 57 million French speakers, followed by Algeria with more than 15 million and Morocco with nearly 14 million.

As European populations decline, African countries are soon predicted to make up an even larger majority of French speakers.

By 2050, French is expected to be spoken by 590 million people, “nine out of ten of whom will live in Africa“, the secretary-general of the OIF, Louise Mushikiwabo, writes in her introduction.

The report predicts the future of French “will no longer be shaped in Paris, but rather in Abidjan, Beirut, Brussels, Dakar, Kinshasa, Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Tunis or Yaoundé”.

Why a changing French language is nothing to be afraid of

Learners’ language

The vast majority of people who speak French use it alongside other languages. Only around 90 million have it as their mother tongue.

In contrast, it is the second most widely studied foreign language in the world – after English – with nearly 170 million learners worldwide.

While French remains a key language in diplomacy, tourism and international law, the report highlights a decline in the use of French in quantitative sciences, new technologies and higher education, where English largely dominates.

On the internet, where around 20 percent of content is in English, French is the fourth most present language. It accounts for about 3.5 percent of online content, a level comparable to Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese and Russian.

The last word: why half of the world’s languages could vanish this century

French has been steadily expanding its global footprint over recent decades. The OIF reported 220 million French speakers in 2010, and 321 million at its last count in 2022.

Since then, however, the organisation has changed the way it calculates the total. Its latest estimate includes children learning French from age six up, whereas previous counts started from age 10. 

Using the old method puts the current number of French speakers at 348 million.

In comparison, some 559 million people speak Spanish, nearly 1.2 billion speak Mandarin and over 1.5 billion speak English.

Provisional results released after polls closed at 8pm showed Grégoire in the lead with 51 percent of the vote, against 37 percent for Dati and 12.5 percent for the hard left’s Sophia Chikirou.

The results released at 8pm are provisional, based on early counting, but are usually accurate.

Polling had put Grégoire and Dati neck-and-neck in the week between the two rounds, but in the end provisional results showed a comfortable win for Grégoire – who is widely seen as the continuity candidate who has pledged to continue Hidalgo’s programme of expanding cycle and pedestrian facilities and plating more trees.

Former justice and culture minister Dati, a protégée of now-convicted ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, had hoped to seize Paris for the right and become its second female mayor in a row.

In conceding defeat Dati said “we had a strong vision for Paris and we ran a campaign full of conviction. It was not enough. I failed to convince people that change was necessary.”

Grégoire, on the other hand, celebrated his win by riding to City Hall on a Velib bike with supporters.

Emmanuel Gregoire makes a V sign as he rides a Velib’ public bike-sharing bicycle heading to Paris townhall after his victory following the announcement of official results of the second round of France’s 2026 municipal elections in Paris on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

“Paris has decided to stay true to its history,” Gregoire told a cheering crowd.

He said the French capital would resist the right and far right in the lead-up to next year’s presidential polls.

Former Paris Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe (L) congratulates Paris Mayoral candidate Emmanuel Gregoire during the party’s rally after Gregoire won the second round of France’s 2026 municipal elections, at the Rotonde Stalingrad in Paris on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

“Paris will be the heart of the resistance against this alliance of the right, which seeks to take away what we hold most precious and fragile: the simple joy of living together,” Gregoire said after projections landed from the second-round runoff of local elections.

Once he arrived at the town hall in Paris, the former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, was waiting for him. She presented him “the key of Paris”. In his victory speech, he expressed his “gratitude” towards her and thanked his voters. 

However the defeated far-right candidate Sarah Knafo described Grégoire’s win as a “tragedy for Paris”.

“Paris is not, and will never be, a far-right city,” insisted socialist Emmanuel Grégoire on Sunday March 22, newly elected Mayor of Paris, according to early results.#EmmanuelGrégoire #ParisMayor

It’s the South of France – but not as you know it…Less chichi than the Côte d’Azur and more wild-at-heart than Provence, French Catalonia is a corner of the country with spectacular scenery and heritage – yet it flies under the radar. If you want drama, you have come to the right place.  

People here form human castles, run with bulls and dance slowly to melancholic tunes in sun-baked squares. It’s red-blooded, fiery, theatrical and full of excitement. OK, so one of the most famous Catalan traditions – whisper it – may seem reminiscent of those infamous hooded and cloaked figures in the Southern USA to the untrained eye. But no. You would be wrong. So, where is this little pocket of Spanish-flavoured France? And why is it there?  

The History of French Catalonia

Catalogne du Nord (Catalunya del Nord in Catalan) was part of Spain until it was handed over to France at the end of the Franco-Spanish war in 1659. Eighty per cent of Catalonia now lies in north eastern Spain (think Barcelona, Girona, the Costa Brava), with 10% in France and the final 10% sprinkled around Mallorca, Minorca, Italy and southern Spain.  

The French bit is bordered by the mighty Pyrenees and Spain in the south, the rocky Mediterranean headlands and sandy beaches of Côte Vermeille in the east and the tax haven of Andorra in the west.  

Tangles of medieval hilltop villages tower above winding valleys featuring rivers and vineyards in the middle. All this is in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales (department 66), with Perpignan its lively capital.  

The Catalan language – spoken by around a third of the French Catalans – was only recognised as a regional language in 2007. All this went some way toward French state recognition of the area’s cultural identity. It wasn’t always so. In the 1880s, playground notices read: “Be clean, wash your hands, speak French”. But never mind all that, because the locals clearly don’t need any endorsements from Paris. As for roadside signs, there is a democratic solution: towns and villages are announced in both French and Catalan.  

Now for the traditions. First up is La Sanch, pronounced Sank. This medieval custom features people in floor-length robes and pointy hoods marching through the historic heart of Perpignan on Good Fridays. It’s said that the brotherhood of La Sanch (“the blood” in Catalan) was founded in 1416 by a Dominican monk in Perpignan.

His followers (‘penitents’) accompanied the condemned to their executions, while commemorating the passion and death of Christ. They wore hooded robes to confuse bystanders and so prevent lynchings in the streets. To this day, crosses, crucifixes and statues are carried on the shoulders of ‘penitents’ in the procession, who march to the sound of solemn tambourines, a small bell and traditional Catalan songs (Goigs). It’s a baroque spectacle watched by crowds of silent bystanders to this day.   

Similarly spectacular is the Correfoc (‘fire run’), held on hot summer nights after darkness finally touches down. This tradition sees streets come alive with ‘colles de diables’, groups of devils in red and black. These Satans dance, skip and jump around the crowds to the sound of heavy drums and piercing whistles, wielding pitchforks with fireworks spinning on the end of their prongs.

The streets are also criss-crossed with fireworks raining down on the devils, filling the air with clouds of smoke and much excitement. All this harks back to medieval street theatre known as Ball de Diables, where Good and Evil go head-to-head in a spellbinding way. Correfoc is an unforgettable spectacle – and no doubt a health-and-safety living hell for local Mairies… 

If dancing devils amaze you, then the Fête de l’Ours (Bears Festival) will astonish you even more. The beautiful Vallespir region (the most lush and forested area of French Catalonia) is no longer home to real bears, but each February, the version celebrated at this folkloric festival comes out of hibernation. UNESCO-listed, this pagan, winter-ending ritual sees local men dressed up as bears, covered in dirt, chasing villagers. 

Once upon a time, young men would try to capture a bear to prove their bravery at the start of Spring. Now, they take part in this raucous event. It’s all about a myth in which a bear leaves his cave to abduct a girl. At the festival, villagers hunt the ‘bear’ down and drag him to the town square, where he is shaved. At this point, his human face is revealed, and all’s well that ends well.  

At the heart of everything Catalan is the snow-capped Mount Canigou. From its 2784m-high summit, you gaze over the valleys of the rivers Tech and Têt and the fertile Roussillon plain. In turn, its peak is visible from all over the region. But it’s more than a landmark – this is a symbol of Catalan unity.

On the eve of St Jean (St John) on 23 June, Catalans climb its slopes to light a bonfire with the Flamme du Canigou, a flame kept burning all year round in Perpignan castle. The next morning, the flame is carried to towns across Catalonia to start bonfires. You’ll also see bunches of healing herbs and flowers sold in the streets. These are picked on the eve of St Jean when they are said to be 100 times stronger. The previous year’s bouquets are traditionally burnt on the bonfire, and new ones are hung above doors to ward off evil spirits.  

The beauty is that none of these traditions are staged for tourists – they are part of real life. Take the Catalan circle dances, Sardanes. No Catalan is too old, too left-footed or cool to join in with the Sardanes, performed to the melancholic tunes of the Coblas bands, featuring flabiols (a sort of recorder), a contrabaix (a sort of double bass) and tibles (a sort of clarinet).  

Summer festas, held underneath red-and-yellow Catalan bunting, also often feature impressive Castells (‘castles’ or human pyramids). Local teams of strong adults form the base (anybody can join once the local team has formed its circle) and lithe youngsters snake up their arms and legs to clamber six, seven, even ten ‘storeys’ up.

The Enxaneta (crowner) is the smallest and bravest child at the top; the Castell is considered finished when he or she raises their hand at the summit. It’s a mesmerising mix of togetherness, trust, determination and concentration, much more so than the also present show of strength, which makes watching this feat an emotional affair.  

Animal lovers, look away now. Yes, bullfights to the death still take place here. The annual Feria de Céret (summer fair) is wildly popular with youngsters from around France and sees bulls run the streets before being killed in the ring. Some say this is a protected and ancient French art form, others see it as ritualised animal torture.

And because of this controversy, now just turn your gaze to the nearby spa town of Amélie-les-Bains, where pampered donkeys enjoy an annual benediction by the bishop outside the local church, having been paraded around the town by angelic children in traditional dress. This cute custom brings prosperity to all and celebrates the patron saint of donkeys. How sweet. Bless the French Catalans… 

The only library on Six Nations of the Grand River territory was shut down without warning last week, leaving staff bewildered and throwing plans for an upcoming 60th anniversary celebration in flux.

Published Feb 25, 2026  •  Last updated Feb 25, 2026  •  4 minute read

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The only library on Six Nations of the Grand River territory was shut down without warning last week, leaving staff bewildered and throwing plans for an upcoming 60th anniversary celebration in flux. 

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“We are devastated,” Six Nations Public Library CEO Feather Maracle said in a Facebook post on Feb. 13, a few hours after caution tape was strung across the entrance to the library on Chiefswood Road in Ohsweken. 

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Maracle said she and the library board were informed the previous afternoon that operations inside the 141-year-old building — a converted historic house built in 1885 — would be suspended as of 5 p.m. the next day. 

The closure comes more than five months after band councillors voted behind closed doors to approve a motion recommending “the immediate vacating of the Six Nations Public Library to support a comprehensive structural assessment to determine potential hazards.” 

At that September in camera meeting, Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) staff were directed to “establish what immediate and long-term measures are required to ensure safety.” 

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What the potential hazards are, and why it took band council five months to act on the recommendation to immediately close the library, remain unclear. 

A community notice issued by Six Nations public relations coordinator Darrien Bomberry on Tuesday said “Six Nations of the Grand River staff and Six Nations Public Library (SNPL) leadership have been in ongoing discussions for more than a year regarding concerns about the structural condition of the library building.” 

Following a flood in June 2025, the Emergency Control Group recommended that the building be vacated until a structural assessment was done, said the notice. 

“The Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council (SNGREC) made this decision to ensure the safety of SNPL staff and community members, reflecting concerns that SNPL leadership had raised over several years,” said the notice. “The CEO communicated this decision to SNPL leadership in November 2025 and again by the COO in February 2026.” 

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The notice said elected council is looking for another space in the community to relocate the library while a structural assessment is being done. 

“The safety of community members, staff and visitors remains a priority,” said the notice. “The Six Nations Public Library is also recognized as a priority for the community. SNGREC offers its sincere apologies to the community for the disruption to library services and acknowledges the challenges this temporary closure may cause for families, learners and community members who rely on this valued space.”  

Maracle was unavailable for comment before press time on Thursday. In her Facebook message, she told library patrons she is still gathering information about what happened and “working in the background on our next steps.” 

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“I am very, very sorry,” Maracle wrote. “I know what the library means to the community.” 

Six Nations Public Library is not a department under the purview of Six Nations band council, but SNGR owns the roughly 2,000-square-foot building and ordered the closure. 

The lack of information left some band members venting their frustration on social media. 

“This is unacceptable,” Celeste Tookoome-Hill said on Facebook. 

“The library offers so much to the community at large. Books and knowledge and programs and events at Six Nations Library are vital and important for everyone. We need the library.” 

Along with a collection of books, movies and other materials, the library offers photocopy and fax services, research help, and programs for kids and teens. The library’s online resources are still accessible during the closure. 

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Band member Laurie A. Hill called the library “a central part of our community” and a “meeting place” for Six Nations youth. 

“Not everyone can afford personal computers or even laptops, not to mention copiers and Wi-Fi,” Hill said on Facebook. 

“Not every child’s family can afford to put them in sports and drive them to practices and games. For some kids, the library is all they have, because it’s free and a safe place to hang out.” 

Band members were left wondering what happened to plans to build a new library and records centre on the reserve, a project that dates back to a community needs assessment in 2009. 

Design plans for the new library were unveiled in 2013 but fundraising seems to have stalled. 

In her letter to the community, Maracle said Six Nations Public Library is “the oldest and largest First Nation public library in the world.” 

Established in 1966, the library was set to celebrate its 60th anniversary on March 3. Maracle vowed the commemoration, called “Chapter 60,” will still take place. 

“Not sure how, or where we’ll be, but we will celebrate our community library,” she said. 

J.P. Antonacci is is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. 

 

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22 mars 2026 à 18h43

L’ultimatumL’ultimatum fixé par Donald Trump à l’Iran prendra théoriquement fin lundi 23 mars au soir. Dans un message furieux et en lettres capitales, ce dont il est coutumier sur sa plateforme Truth Social, le président américain a sommé Téhéran de rouvrir sous quarante-huit heures le détroit d’Ormuz. Ce couloir maritime stratégique pour l’approvisionnement mondial en hydrocarbures est bloqué par l’Iran depuis le début de la guerre, il y a trois semaines.

Si la République islamique ne se plie pas à leurs exigences, les États-Unis « frapperont et anéantiront » les centrales électriques iraniennes « EN COMMENÇANT PAR LA PLUS GRANDE ! », a prévenu Donald Trump, samedi 21 mars dans la soirée.

Les autorités iraniennes ont immédiatement répondu, menaçant en retour de viser les infrastructures « énergétiques, de technologie de l’information et de dessalement d’eau » dans la région, mais aussi de fermer complètement le détroit d’Ormuz jusqu’à ce que les centrales iraniennes qui seraient détruites soient reconstruites, a indiqué le commandement unifié des forces iraniennes, dans un communiqué publié dimanche 22 mars.

Sur le réseau social X, le président du Parlement iranien menace quant à lui de considérer « des sites énergétiques et pétroliers dans toute la région […] comme des cibles légitimes » et de les détruire « de manière irréversible » si des infrastructures de son pays sont à nouveau touchées. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf souligne que de telles attaques feraient augmenter « de manière durable » les prix du pétrole.

Ces derniers ont déjà recommencé à monter à la suite des premières attaques d’Israël, mercredi 18 mars, contre des infrastructures gazières iraniennes, puis de la riposte de Téhéran sur des installations pétrolières et gazières des pays du Golfe. Interrogé par la chaîne chinoise CGTN, le PDG de TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, prévient qu’un conflit qui durerait « plus de six mois » au Moyen-Orient provoquerait de « vrais impacts » sur les économies mondiales, qui « en souffriront » toutes.

Concernant le détroit d’Ormuz, une vingtaine de pays, principalement européens, dont la France, et comptant aussi le Japon, le Canada et les Émirats arabes unis, se sont dits « prêts à contribuer aux efforts appropriés visant à garantir la sécurité du passage dans le détroit ».

Le péril nucléaire

La guerre, débutée le 28 février, entre dans une « phase périlleuse », avertit Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, le directeur de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), inquiet face à « toute action susceptible de déclencher des incidents nucléaires ». Selon lui, « les attaques visant des sites nucléaires constituent une menace croissante pour la santé publique et la sécurité environnementale ».

Samedi soir, l’Iran a lancé deux attaques destructrices sur le sud d’Israël, dont une sur la ville de Dimona, où se situe le principal centre de recherche nucléaire du pays. L’armée israélienne a confirmé à l’Agence France-Presse « un impact direct de missile » à cinq kilomètres de son site de recherche et fait état d’une trentaine de blessés. À la suite de ces frappes, le premier ministre Benjamin Nétanyahou a promis qu’Israël « viserait personnellement » les dirigeants de la République islamique, et plus particulièrement les Gardiens de la révolution, membres de son corps d’élite.

Quelques heures plus tôt, une frappe avait visé le complexe nucléaire iranien de Natanz, le principal site d’enrichissement nucléaire situé dans l’ouest du pays. Elle a été attribuée à la coalition israélo-états-unienne, mais l’armée israélienne assure ne « pas être au courant » et la télévision publique rapporte qu’il s’agit d’une action uniquement américaine.

Samedi, l’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique (AIEA) a, elle aussi, appelé à « la retenue militaire afin d’éviter tout risque d’incident nucléaire », tout en assurant qu’« aucune fuite de matières radioactives » n’avait été signalée à Natanz.

Les frappes se poursuivent

Le quotidien israélien Haaretz rapporte dimanche après-midi des tirs de missiles iraniens sur Israël, dans la région de Tel-Aviv. « Une personne est grièvement blessée, plusieurs [le] sont légèrement [et] des dégâts sont signalés sur six sites d’impact », précise le journal. De son côté, l’armée israélienne indique avoir ciblé « des capacités clés du régime en Iran » et frappé des sites de production d’armes ainsi qu’une base militaire.

Le ministre de l’énergie iranien évoque par ailleurs « de lourds dégâts » subis depuis le début de la guerre par « les infrastructures vitales du pays pour l’eau et l’électricité ». Selon lui, « les attaques ont visé des dizaines d’installations de transmission et de traitement de l’eau et détruit des parties des réseaux d’approvisionnement critiques ». Selon le chef du Croissant-Rouge iranien, plus de 81 000 sites civils sont également endommagés, parmi lesquels des bâtiments résidentiels, des écoles ou des centres commerciaux.

Dans les pays du Golfe, ciblés par l’Iran, trois missiles balistiques ont visé dimanche la région de Riyad, en Arabie saoudite, et les Émirats arabes unis ont dit de leur côté répondre à des attaques de drones et de missiles. Samedi, l’Iran a menacé ces derniers de « violentes frappes » en cas de « nouvelles agressions » contre les îles du Golfe d’Abou Moussa et de Grande Tunb, situées près de l’entrée du détroit d’Ormuz et contrôlées par l’Iran.

Après sa prière dimanche, le pape Léon XIV a qualifié « la mort et la douleur provoquées par ces guerres » de « scandale », et dit continuer « à suivre avec consternation la situation au Moyen-Orient ainsi que dans d’autres régions du monde déchirées par la guerre et la violence ».

« Escalade dangereuse » au Liban

Au Liban, où un conflit ouvert entre Israël et le Hezbollah a repris le 2 mars, le président Joseph Aoun a condamné dimanche après-midi sur le réseau social X le « ciblage par Israël des infrastructures et des installations vitales au Liban-Sud et leur destruction » et en particulier le bombardement du pont de Qasmiyeh. Il s’agit, souligne le média L’Orient-Le Jour, d’un pont stratégique qui relie le sud du Liban au reste du pays.

Pour le président libanais, ces attaques « constituent une escalade dangereuse et une violation flagrante de la souveraineté du Liban, et peuvent être considérées comme une préparation à une invasion terrestre » et comme « une politique de punition collective à l’encontre des civils ».

L’armée israélienne dit avoir reçu l’ordre de détruire « tous les ponts » dans le sud utilisés à des fins « terroristes » par le Hezbollah. Elle affirme poursuivre par ailleurs « ses opérations terrestres intensives ». Le Hezbollah revendique quant à lui dimanche une série d’attaques ayant visé des soldats israéliens dans le nord d’Israël. Un tir de roquette a également fait une première victime civile à la frontière nord d’Israël, indique l’Agence France-Presse.

Issued on: 22/03/2026 – 18:01

3 min Reading time

Raymond Maufrais – the French explorer whose disappearance in the Amazonian jungle has fuelled decades of speculation – was officially declared dead in French Guiana on Wednesday.

A court in the capital Cayenne ruled that the 23-year-old had died on 13 January, 1950 – the final date recorded in his journals, which were later found and published.

“He would be 99 today. That leaves little room for doubt,” said presiding judge Naïma Sajie.

The court relied on a provision of French civil law allowing a person to be declared dead if they disappeared in life-threatening circumstances and no body is recovered.

A father’s search

Born in Toulon in 1926, Maufrais was a decorated member of the French Resistance during the Second World War before turning to exploration. In 1946, he travelled to Brazil’s remote Mato Grosso region – still largely inaccessible at the time.

He compared his experiences to the films he used to watch “when [he] was very young – Westerns, adventure films, Wild West films, adventure”, according to interviews he gave to France Culture public radio.

In January 1950, he set out alone to trek cross French Guiana’s rainforest from Saint-Laurent-du Maroni towards Brazil. After travelling up the Mana river and reaching Maripasoula on foot, he disappeared while heading east into dense jungle.

Mountains of gold, rivers of mercury: Poisoning of Guiana and the French Amazon

His notebooks, discovered months later by Emerillon indigenous people in a makeshift shelter near Camopi, describe his final days. Weakened by hunger and illness, he wrote of how he was ultimately forced to kill and eat his dog to survive.

At the time, officials and local experts believed he had died – most likely drowned or overcome by exhaustion, his body lost to the river and the jungle. But because his body was never found, mystery around his death endured for decades.

His father, Edgar Maufrais, spent 12 years searching obsessively for him across French Guiana, Brazil and Suriname, collecting testimonies, until 1964 when near-starvation forced him to abandon his search.  

Despite the widespread belief Maufrais had died, no formal declaration had ever been made. His parents refused to accept the loss, and given he had no descendants there was no one to continue the quest. 

It was only in 2025 that the Association of Friends of Edgar and Raymond Maufrais initiated legal proceedings, after discovering during a visit to Camopi that no official record existed.

Who is ‘Mr Titanic’, the French explorer aboard missing sub?

Local hero

While the ruling – which allows his birth record in Toulon and the civil register in Camopi to be updated – is largely symbolic, it brings formal closure to one of French Guiana’s most enduring mysteries.

Maufrais was a former scout, war correspondent and self-taught cartographer who could kill caimans barehanded, embodying the romantic ideal of the courageous lone explorer.

How indigenous lands in the Amazon help prevent deadly diseases

Though largely forgotten in mainland France, Maufrais’ story still resonates in the territory, where enthusiasts continue to retrace his final journey to his last known camp deep in the jungle.

“His story still moves people – much of it lies in the mystery surrounding his disappearance,” said Monika Borowitch, a local representative of the Association, noting the books and documentaries inspired by his life and his father’s search. Maufrais’s story also inspired the 2015 film La vie pure.

“In the mystery of the Amazon rainforest, we lost both a writer and an explorer,” Judge Sajie concluded.

(with AFP)

The second-round results consolidated their dominance in the most populous centres of the overseas territory, which has been politically polarised for years between pro- and non-independence parties.

This year’s local elections were the first since deadly separatist violence broke out in New Caledonia in May 2024.

In the capital Noumea, incumbent mayor Sonia Lagarde, aligned with the main non-independence bloc, won a decisive victory with 62 percent of the vote, securing 43 council seats. Turnout was 48 percent.

Non-independence candidates scored victories in the broader Noumea metropolitan area.

Around 64 percent of New Caledonia’s population lives in the greater Noumea region, which bore the brunt of the 2024 riots.

Outside the metropolitan region, results were mixed, with pro-independence movements doing well in several rural municipalities that traditionally lend them support.

France examines territory’s status

Both camps are looking to use the election results to bolster their positions as France’s parliament prepares to examine a constitutional reform that aims to have New Caledonia remain French but be declared a new state.

Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.

It has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many Indigenous Kanaks still resent France’s power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.

The unrest in May 2024 broke out after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-Indigenous long-term residents. Kanaks feared this would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.

As part of an agreement with Paris, New Caledonia residents will in future only be allowed to vote after having lived 10 years on the archipelago.

Under the deal, a “State of New Caledonia” would be enshrined in France’s constitution, and other countries could recognise such a state.

The deal also calls for an economic and financial recovery pact that would include a renewal of the territory’s nickel processing capabilities.