NOUMEA: Separatists in riot-hit New Caledonia on Monday refused to abandon road blocks that have paralysed the Pacific archipelago for a week, in defiance of a major security operation by French forces.
France has sent 1,000 security forces to its overseas territory that has been rocked by seven nights of violence that have left six dead, including two gendarmes, and hundreds injured. President Emmanuel Macron was due to chair a new meeting of his defence and security council on Monday evening.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal warned that “there is still a long way to go before things return to normal” in New Caledonia.