New Caledonia establishes International Liberation Front

French overseas territories have established the International Liberation Front with the goal of achieving full sovereignty for their peoples. 

The primary aim of the front is to unite forces to permanently eliminate any colonial presence on the planet and secure full sovereignty for these territories, the final declaration says, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The congress has been recently held in New Caledonia. The representatives from various island territories of France and the Netherlands attended the congress. The Front seeks to become a platform for coordinating efforts and drawing global attention to decolonization issues on the world stage. 

"We intend to use UN resolutions on the international decades for the complete elimination of colonialism to accelerate the processes of national emancipation in our respective countries," the document states.

The congress has committed to fostering solidarity among independence movements and their peoples. 

This support will be provided both through diplomatic efforts and the struggle against French colonialism, its repressive policies, and its crimes. The key objectives of the Front include informing the global public through all available means to counter the official lies that serve to justify France's repressive actions. 

The Front aims to have Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Corsica added to the UN list of territories to be decolonized. The organisation also plans to gain observer status in the Non-Aligned Movement and develop a strategy for the eradication of colonialism. 

The Front was founded by leaders of political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and activists from New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Corsica, as well as representatives from territories outside France, including Bonaire and Sint Maarten, with a total of 15 signatories. 

The declaration establishing the International Liberation Front was signed by the parties in Baku in July 2024, with support from the Baku Initiative Group, while the final decision to form the Front was made at the congress in Nouméa.

One of the key decisions at the Congress of the International Liberation Front, which brought together territories from France's former colonies, held in Kanaky, New Caledonia on January 23-24 was the establishment of an official symbol for the movement.

The Iron Fist, a symbol of liberation that has become associated with Azerbaijan's territorial reclamation thanks to President Ilham Aliyev, will also represent the fight against colonialism. The International Liberation Front selected the Iron Fist as its emblem. 

By Naila Huseynova