Macron calls crisis meeting on New Caledonia riots PHOTO

At least two people were killed and three were seriously injured overnight,  AFP reports quoting local French officials.

It was the third day of violent unrest over a constitutional reform pushed by Paris that has roiled the archipelago, which has long sought independence.

French authorities in the territory said more than 130 people have been arrested and over 300 have been injured since Monday in the violence that has raged across the archipelago, where there have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonisers who want to remain part of France.

The special Defence and Security Council meeting called by Macron typically brings together a limited group of officials, including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the ministers for defence, interior, economy and foreign affairs.

Minister of Interior and Overseas Territories Gérald Darmanin said 100 gendarmes were evacuated during violence overnight following “an attack on their station with an axe and live ammunition.”

“Calm must absolutely be restored," Darmanin said in an interview with French broadcaster RTL.