Australians stranded in New Caledonia are rationing food as they wait for a way out of the troubled Pacific island where six people have been killed in violence, according to a traveler from Sydney.
The local government said they were among 3,200 people waiting to enter or leave the French-administered territory after civil flights were canceled as a result of the violence that erupted this week.
“The children are definitely hungry because there aren't many options for what they can feed,” Joao Elias said Saturday from the resort of the capital Nouméa, where his family is holed up. Told.
“We can see that food is running out,” she told Reuters by phone, referring to the resort where they were staying.
The riots were sparked by anger among the indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved by parliament in Paris that would allow French nationals who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to vote in local elections. Local leaders in the region are concerned that the constitutional amendment will dilute people's rights. Kanak vote.
Five nights of chaos left shops burnt, cars set on fire, stores looted, roads barricaded and access to medicine and food cut off.
Those killed included three Kanak indigenous people and two police officers.
French police said Saturday that a sixth person was killed and two others seriously injured in a shootout between two groups at a barricade in Cala Gomen, without specifying the groups.
Hundreds of French police reinforcements began arriving on Friday to take back control of the capital.
Elias, who arrived in the country on May 10 with her husband and four children, said she was told to fill her bathtub with water in case it ran out as food stocks dwindled.
“We don't know how long we're going to be here,” she said, adding that her family is among about 30 Australians stranded at the Chateau Royale resort. He added that
Aircalin plans to resume operations on Tuesday when Tontouta Airport is scheduled to reopen, while Aircalin has no immediate plans to operate, the airline said.
The resort declined to comment on the situation, citing safety reasons.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra was “working with the French and New Caledonian authorities and like-minded partners, including New Zealand, to assess options for Australians to leave the country safely.”
The United States on Friday advised its citizens to “reconsider traveling to New Caledonia due to the civil unrest and crime.”
The New Caledonian government said on Friday that the island had two months' worth of food in stock and the problem was distribution.
French officials said the operation to distribute food and medicine to the general public will begin with a team including demining experts who will clear road barricades set up by activists.