France accused of using agreements to delay New Caledonia’s decolonization

France is facing renewed accusations of obstructing New Caledonia’s decolonization process through the strategic use of political agreements, which serve as tools to delay and manipulate the island’s path to self-determination.

According to a statement by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), France has relied on three key agreements—the Matignon Accords (1988), the Nouméa Accord (1998), and the recent Bougival Agreement (2025)—to entrench its influence in the South Pacific territory and suppress the independence movement led by the indigenous Kanak people, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“These agreements were designed not to support decolonization, but rather to protect the interests of French settlers, maintain control over the territory, and suppress the Kanak people's aspiration for independence, which is their inalienable right,” the BIG said in a statement.

New Caledonia, a French overseas territory located in the South Pacific Ocean, is home to a population where the Kanak people represent roughly 40%. For decades, the indigenous population has pushed for full sovereignty, citing their cultural identity, historical grievances, and international recognition of their right to self-determination.

The Baku Initiative Group emphasized that France’s continued reluctance to engage meaningfully with the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS)—the primary pro-independence political organization—is indicative of a broader neocolonial approach.

“France continues to ignore the right to decolonization as enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” the group asserted, adding that Paris’s refusal to engage in direct negotiations with the FLNKS is further evidence of its efforts to undermine the decolonization process.

By Vafa Guliyeva