The gendarme who was seriously shot in the head on Wednesday 15 May in New Caledonia has died from his injuries. This tragic news brings to four the number of deaths linked to the violence in the archipelago

The situation in New Caledonia is worsening, marked by the loss of a 22-year-old gendarme. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin expressed his dismay before the Senate, describing the circumstances of the tragedy. He described a tense night when individuals in a particularly dangerous area opened fire on the police. Unfortunately, one of the gendarmes was fatally wounded. Amateur videos show the confusion and violence of the situation, with injured individuals and scenes of looting.

Faced with this escalation of violence, New Caledonia’s High Commissioner issued an appeal for calm, stressing the importance of putting an end to this dangerous spiral. Despite this appeal, the riots continued, with acts of vandalism and looting, such as the attack on a supermarket and the ransacking of a bookshop, leaving shopkeepers distraught and moved to tears.