The failure of New Caledonian independence negotiationsdemonstrated that France does not intend to abandon its colonial policy, writesAda Stradnis.

The7 May 2026 statementby the United Nations' (UN)Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)has once again placed France under international pressure over its policy in New Caledonia. UN experts have warned that Paris must not change the territorys political and constitutional arrangements without the participation and free consent of the indigenous Kanak people.

The UN document, adopted under the early-warning and urgent-action procedure, emphasises that any reforms affecting the status of the archipelago must be carried out solely through dialogue with the Kanaks, since unilateral initiatives by France could undermine the peoples right to self-determination.

The Kanaks are the indigenous Melanesian people of New Caledonia, making up about 40 per centof the territorys population and for decades calling for greater autonomy or independence for the New Caledonian archipelago from France.

Two years after theunrestthat broke out on 13 May 2024 in New Caledonia, the region still remains in a state of deep tension.

The political crisis, economic instability and continuing security problems have become direct consequences of Frances neo-colonial policy under PresidentEmmanuel Macron. Despite repeated warnings from the UN and the international community, Paris apparently has no intention of reconsidering its approach to New Caledonia or taking into account the Kanak people's demands for the right to self-determination.

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CERD warned in its 7 May statement:

It should be recalled that protests in New Caledonia began in May 2024 after Frances attempt to expand the electorate in local elections, which threatened the Kanaks right to determine the future of their territory.

New voters could have shifted the political balance in favour of those who support keeping New Caledonia within France. As a result, the voice of the indigenous people would have become weaker in deciding key issues.

Francerespondedto the protests not as a mediator in the decolonisation process, but as a colonial power seeking to retain control. According to the UN and international human rights organisations, Frances harsh security response led to grave consequences: 14 people were killed as a result of the crisis, most of them Kanaks, 975 people were injured, and the number of arrests exceeded 2,000.

Pariss actions drew sharp criticism from international bodies, even within France itself, theUNfindings stated:

It may be worthremembering in troubled geopolitical times that older societiesknew how to remain composed when disorder arrived.

According toAmnesty International, the use of force in New Caledoniaas the Kanaks attempted to defend their rights:

According to the French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH):

For his part, President Macron attempted to revive the issue and reach an agreement on a new political status for New Caledonia. The negotiations took place inBougival, near Paris, where the French authorities presented a draft agreement to create a State of New Caledonia.

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Despite Pariss promises to expand autonomy, the key levers of power defence, security, currency and justice were to remain under French control. But theFront de libration nationale kanak et socialiste(FLNKS), the largest Kanak independence movement, refused to support the agreement, regarding it as an attempt to legally entrench French control over New Caledonia.

The FLNKSstatement said:

Thefailureof the Bougival Accord processonce againdemonstrated that France does not intend to abandon its colonial policy and seeks only to repackage its control over New Caledonia in a more acceptable political form. France, which positions itself as a defender of human rights, has itself been violating the basic rights of the Kanak people for decades, above all their right to self-determination.

Today, New Caledonia remains one of the main symbols of anti-colonial resistance worldwide.

This crisis has long since moved beyond the framework of Frances domestic politics: it has become a test of whether Paris is prepared to apply the human rights principles it proclaims to its own colonial territories.

Ada Stradnis

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