Violence broke out again Monday on the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, as anger over a controversial electoral reform bill lingers.
Authorities say protesters set fire to a police outpost and an emergency vehicle in the community of Dumbea, located north of the capital Noumea, while the town hall in Koumac, another nearby community, was also set on fire.
The latest round of violence occurred two days after pro-independence leader Christian Tein and six other activists were sent to mainland France to stand trial for provoking the initial unrest that broke out in mid-May.
The violence was sparked by a bill introduced in the French Parliament to allow French-born residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in local elections.
Leaders of the island’s pro-independence movement say the measure would dilute the voting power of the Indigenous Kanak people who have suffered under decades of discrimination.
Protesters ransacked scores of homes and businesses in Noumea and established roadblocks leading in and out of the capital, preventing deliveries of food and medicine to citizens and tourists trapped in their homes and resorts.
Nine people were killed in the violence.
Nearly 1,500 people have been arrested since mid-May, including 38 people Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron suspended the proposed reform after visiting New Caledonia late last month.
Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
