United around Valls, the Caledonian political forces fail to find an agreement

Nearly ten days after arriving in New Caledonia, Manuel Valls will return to Paris without having managed to seal an agreement between local political forces. A two-and-a-half-day meeting in Bourail, at a lagoon-side hotel listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was not enough to bring Caledonians to an agreement. On the morning of Thursday, May 8, local and government sources confirmed the failure of the negotiations.

Also read: From Paris to Noumea, a loyalist front is organizing to take Valls by surprise

The former prime minister's task was daunting, four months after returning to government. It was a matter of finding a new institutional framework for New Caledonia, 27 years to the day after the signing of the Nouméa Accords under Lionel Jospin. The three self-determination referendums rejected the territory's independence, demanded by the Kanaks. They boycotted the last vote in 2021. Since then, the situation has spiraled downward, leading to a return to violence last year. 14 people are...