Residents of the Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to remain part of France in a third referendum that was boycotted by pro-independence groups, reports say. The result could exacerbate ethnic tensions, with the poorer indigenous Kanak community generally favouring independence over the wealthier white community. The main indigenous pro-independence movement, the FLNKS, had called the government’s insistence on going ahead with the referendum “a declaration of war”. Another referendum is expected by June 2023 which will decide on the “project” New Caledonia’s people want to pursue. New Caledonia was largely spared during the pandemic’s first phase, but have suffered close to 300 Covid-19 deaths since the Delta variant arrived.

Source: The Guardian December 13, 2021 03:33 UTC