‘A No Man’s Land’: Aussie Stuck in New Caledonia Unrest

‘It’s desolation, it’s chaos—it’s frightening.’

A damaged building is seen as rioters protest against plans to allow more people to take part in local elections in the French-ruled territory, which indigenous Kanak protesters reject, in Noumea, New Caledonia, May 15, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Lilou Garrido Navarro Kherachi/via REUTERS

Australians stranded in riotous New Caledonia are begging the government to help them come home, describing the deteriorating unrest that has killed four people as a war zone.

Brisbane woman Sophie Jones Bradshaw travelled to Noumea, the capital of the French-ruled Pacific island territory, for work on May 11.