On Saturday 18 May, a sixth death occurred in connection with the riots that have shaken New Caledonia this week. The victim is a man who died at a roadblock in Kaala-Gomen

According to information provided to H24 MEDIA by the gendarmerie, a man lost his life on Saturday 18 May at a dam in Kaala-Gomen, New Caledonia, bringing to six the number of deaths linked to the riots that have hit the archipelago this week.

The death occurred at around 5.30am Paris time, or 2.30pm Noumea time, following reports of gunfire. Three people were rushed to Koumac hospital, two of them in a serious condition.

General Nicolas Matthéos, commander of the gendarmerie in New Caledonia, confirmed to AFP ‘one dead and two wounded in Kaala-Gomen’.

Under a state of emergency, New Caledonia has received 1,000 additional reinforcements, on top of the 1,700 already deployed.

This week has also seen the deaths of two gendarmes and three civilians. One gendarme was killed on Thursday in circumstances described by the gendarmerie as an ‘accidental shooting’. Another gendarme, aged 22, died on Wednesday after being shot in the head.

Three Kanak civilians, aged 17, 20 and 36 respectively, have also lost their lives since the violence began.

The tumultuous situation in this French territory in the south-east Pacific is the result of protests against the constitutional reform adopted by the National Assembly on Tuesday.