Paradise island ‘under siege’ from rioters leaving thousands of tourists stranded as France deploys special ops forces
FRENCH special forces have descended on New Caledonia as deadly riots grip the island.
Hundreds of cops have flown in for a “major operation” after days of violence – with dramatic images showing burnt out cars littering the streets and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
The French pacific archipelago descended into chaos with arson and armed clashes on Monday after brutal protests erupted.
Hundreds took to the streets to object a change to the electoral rolls that is set to allow more French residents to vote.
But the riots quickly took a nasty turn with more than 200 people being arrested for the violent outbreak.
As well as the arrests three residents from Kanak – thought to include a 17-year-old – have also died.
Police later confirmed two of their officers caught in the melee were killed in unknown circumstances at the moment.
Hundreds of residents have been injured as residents continue to report gunshots and huge explosions blasting through the air at all hours.
In response, France sent in over a hundred officers from Paris’ elite counterterrorism special forces with at least 500 gendarmes being deployed, confirmed French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
Dramatic images show charred car wreckages scattered along the highway with plumes of black smoke seen rising in the air.
A huge number of public buildings such as supermarkets, libraries and municipal buildings are said to have been damaged and looted during the unrest.
Authorities quickly declared it a state of emergency as they placed a night-time curfew on the island.
Bans on public gatherings, alcohol sales, and the carrying of weapons were later made as well as the complete banning of TikTok.
The mayor of the paradise island of Nouméa, Sonia Lagarde, labelled it a “besieged city” in a state of destruction.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was forced to deploy 1,000 extra police to assist the 1,700 already there fighting back against the demonstrators.
He said authorities would push for “the harshest penalties for rioters and looters”.
Despite the huge number of security personnel the additional 600 heavily armed specialists were sent to “restore the order of the Republic.”
But Lagarde said the situation is “far from getting back to calm” even with the added police reinforcements.
Adding that the security forces will “need to be given a little time” to secure the situation as it has got so bad.
The general of the local gendarmerie, Nicolas Matthéos, warned all the rioters to stand down before the situation turns much worse.
He said: “We are going to win these fights. If the rioters resist, they will take a lot of risks for themselves.
” So, I invite them to stop the clashes, the hostilities with the police and gendarmes.”
TRAPPED TOURISTS
Roads across New Caledonia have been blocked by burnt cars and piles of rubble as barricades have been formed by the locals.
One of the worst of these has seen the city’s main road leading up to the Noumea-La Tontouta airport completely blocked off.
Leading to all flights going to and from New Caledonia’s main island axed since the fighting started.
This has left people with no choice but to stay on the island – including at least 3,200 stranded tourists.
Many of these have been left scrambling to stock up on food and drink as their unplanned stay drags on.
Huge queues can be seen outside of shops across the nightmare isles as fears over food running out looms.
One Australian mother trapped at a resort in Noumea with her husband and four children has been forced to fill a bathtub with water incase they need it in the coming days.
She said: “The kids are definitely hungry because we don’t really have much option of what we can feed them.
“We don’t know how long we’re going to be here for.”
It is hoped the French special ops will regain control of the main road so the airport can reopen soon and people can finally flee to safety.
