Asia & Pacific

France Sends Minister to New Caledonia in Bid to Rescue Peace Plan

French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls is in New Caledonia trying to shore up support for an all-party agreement that promised to end years of conflict.
France Sends Minister to New Caledonia in Bid to Rescue Peace Plan
France's Minister of Overseas Manuel Valls gestures as he delivers a speech during a meeting entitled "For the Republic... France against Islamism" at the Dome de Paris, in Paris on March 26, 2025. Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty Images
Rex Widerstrom
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France’s overseas minister Manuel Valls is in New Caledonia after a landmark peace deal unravelled, with a major pro-independence group rejecting it despite having signed an accord.

Failure of the agreement risks a repeat of the riots of last year, which led to 14 deaths and over €2 billion (US$2.33 billion) in material damage.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.