World Courant
ANKARA
France is battling growing calls for for independence from its abroad collectivities — a legacy of the nation’s colonial interval.
The colonies make up 18% of French territory and are dwelling to 2.6 million individuals.
French collectivities have completely different political statuses and embody Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, that are positioned within the Atlantic Ocean; Reunion, Mayotte and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories within the Indian Ocean whereas French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna are positioned within the Pacific Ocean; French Guiana is in South America.
Twelve French colonies, the closest is roughly 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from France and the farthest is 17,000 kilometers, are removed from the mainland by way of residing requirements.
Fighting varied socioeconomic issues and complaining in regards to the inadequacy of infrastructure and safety providers supplied by the French administration to the lands, the colonies are demanding extra autonomy and independence.
Anadolu compiled the calls for of Indigenous rights supporters in French colonies and issues confronted by the territories, which got here to the fore once more with the occasions in New Caledonia, the place independence supporters took motion and France used drive to suppress protests.
Independence supporters suppressed in New Caledonia
In New Caledonia, which is roughly 17,000 kilometers from the French mainland, the French authorities’s constitutional reform initiative to scale back the affect of the indigenous individuals in elections has mobilized independence supporters on the island.
The French authorities’s try and open the way in which for French individuals who have been residing on the island for a minimum of 10 years to vote in elections, opposite to the Noumea Treaty signed with the locals in 1988, induced protests.
The French authorities despatched police and gendarmerie to the island to suppress protests that lasted a couple of month. Seven individuals have been killed in incidents that broke out on the island. A state of emergency, which was declared on Could 13, was lifted on Could 27 when the scenario got here underneath management within the capital, Noumea.
French President Emmanuel Macron didn’t withdraw the constitutional reform invoice throughout his go to to the island and gave time for dialogue between supporters and opponents.
French Guiana desires extra autonomy
French Guiana in South America, 7,000 kilometers from France, suffers from safety issues.
Undocumented migration and unlawful gold mining on the Brazilian border are among the many primary issues of the colony of 300,000 individuals, the place the homicide charges are 10 occasions larger than the mainland.
Poverty and unemployment charges are excessive, and residents complain in regards to the authorities’s inadequacy in investments in infrastructure and the well being sector.
Nearly 40% of the younger inhabitants in French Guiana goes overseas for training and or work.
The native authorities is reacting to the truth that Macron promised extra autonomy to France’s island within the Mediterranean, Corsica, whereas related steps weren’t taken for Guyana.
Gabriel Serville, Speaker of the Parliament of French Guiana, criticized the federal government’s “double requirements” in offering extra autonomy, stating that the cultural range of the island of Corsica, which is 160 kilometers from France, is emphasised however French Guiana, which is 7,000 kilometers, is just not seen in the identical mild.
The Congress of French Guiana voted in 2020 to request larger autonomy underneath particular standing. Regardless of the demand of residents, after practically 4 years, no progress has been made in negotiations with the Paris administration on constitutional regulation.
Autonomy calls for enhance after coronavirus protests in Guadeloupe and Martinique
The Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, with a inhabitants of 400,000 individuals positioned roughly 7,000 kilometers from France, is experiencing safety difficulties attributable to crime charges which are six occasions larger than the French nationwide common and armed theft charges which are 20 occasions larger.
As a result of growing involvement of younger individuals in crimes, a curfew was imposed in in April for Pointe-a-Pitre, the industrial capital of the island, for these youthful than 18.
There have been intense protests on the island attributable to lockdown measures applied by the French authorities throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
France despatched safety forces to the area to suppress protests spreading in Martinique from different colonies.
Thereupon, whereas autonomy discussions have been underneath the highlight once more, France’s Abroad Territories Minister on the time, Sebastien Lecornu, mentioned Paris was “prepared for autonomy negotiations.”
After the COVID-19 outbreak protests, calls for for autonomy additionally gained momentum within the neighboring colony of Martinique.
Martinique Government Council President Serge Letchimy sought assist from regional companions to grant the island autonomy standing with out separating from France. In November, the Congress of Martinique voted in favor of including an article to the French Structure permitting legal guidelines to be tailored to the social and financial realities of the Island.
Safety and water issues can’t be solved in Mayotte, France’s poorest land
In recent times, there have been safety issues in Mayotte, a colony within the Indian Ocean, roughly 8,000 kilometers from the mainland.
A ingesting water scarcity, which has been occurring for years, has reached a disaster degree on the island with a inhabitants of 310,000, which is going through the “worst drought of the century.”
In November, the French authorities created 82 water provide factors on the island and started distributing ingesting water to residents with troopers.
On the island, the place there’s an inflow of immigrants, the federal government determined to make constitutional modifications to restrict “citizenship acquired by delivery.”
French Inside Minister Gerald Darmanin introduced in February that youngsters of immigrants born on the island would now not “routinely” change into French residents.
With the brand new regulation, youngsters born on the Island are required to have French dad and mom to change into French residents.
The citizenship restriction was taken in opposition to Comoro Island immigrants who have been blamed for the deterioration of residing situations on the Island.
On the island, the place greater than 90% of the inhabitants is Muslim, a cholera epidemic, which is mostly transmitted by means of soiled water, has change into widespread in latest months.
The French authorities dispatched 1,700 police and troopers in April and launched an 11-week operation to regulate the safety scenario on the island, which suffers from an irregular circulate of immigrants.
In keeping with knowledge, the residing requirements of Mayotte residents are seven occasions decrease than the French and 77% of residents dwell under the poverty line.
Professional-independence social gathering involves energy in French Polynesia
French Polynesia, which consists of greater than 100 islands within the South Pacific with a inhabitants of roughly 300,000 and is roughly 16,000 kilometers from the mainland, is protesting the results of about 200 nuclear exams performed by France between 1966 and 1996.
The professional-independence Tavini Huiraatira Celebration received final yr’s elections in Polynesia, which was anticipating an apology from France for exams that had critical adverse results on the general public.
Whereas the Polynesian administration desires to advance the island towards full sovereignty, the French authorities is just not excited by independence negotiations and argues that the island ought to work to change into self-sufficient in agriculture, economic system and meals earlier than its political independence.
Reunion
Reunion, which is roughly 9,000 kilometers from France, signed the “Fort-de-France” name with its six accompanying colonies on the finish of 2022, demanding extra autonomy in opposition to the French administration.
The signing by Reunion Regional Council President Huguette Bello created a debate within the Reunion Senate, and right-wingers declared that they might battle to “maintain the island French.”
Promise of “distinctive autonomy” to Corsica
Corsica Island within the Mediterranean, recognized for its proximity to Italy quite than France, has a distinct historical past from the colonies however is thought for wanting extra autonomy.
Throughout a September go to to the island, the place pro-independence supporters have a majority in parliament, Macron referred to as for “autonomy distinctive to Corsica” and gave six months for right-wingers and pro-independence supporters to agree on a typical textual content on autonomy.
In March, the events agreed on a textual content granting extra autonomy to the island. Progress in autonomy negotiations in Corsica, which has a culturally completely different id and historic previous, was met with a response within the colonies the place the federal government didn’t present the identical method.
Help for Macron has decreased abroad
Macron, who achieved overwhelming success in opposition to the far-right Marine Le Pen with 66% of the vote within the 2017 elections, couldn’t obtain the identical success within the 2022 elections.
Macron was elected for a second time with 58%, Le Pen obtained round 42% of the vote.
Le Pen overwhelmingly received with round 60% of the vote within the abroad territories of Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Mayotte and Reunion, which voted for Macron within the earlier elections.
Le Pen, who obtained roughly 51% of the vote in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, additionally obtained 48% in French Polynesia.
Anadolu Company web site incorporates solely a portion of the information tales supplied to subscribers within the AA Information Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized type. Please contact us for subscription choices.
