Australians stranded in New Caledonia 'running out of food' amid civil unrest

By Reuters
May 18, 2024 5:54 AM EDT Updated 2 hours ago

SYDNEY/PARIS, May 18 (Reuters) - Australians stranded in New Caledonia are rationing food as they wait for a way out of the Pacific island territory, after unrest that has killed six people, a traveller from Sydney said on Saturday.

"The kids are definitely hungry because we don't really have much option of what we can feed them," Joanne Elias told Reuters by phone from a resort in the capital Noumea, where her family has been holed up since the unrest in the French-ruled territory broke out this week.

The riots have been sparked by anger among indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved by lawmakers in Paris that would allow French people who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to vote in provincial elections, which some local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote.

Three nights of upheaval have resulted in burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops and road barricades, cutting off access to medicine and food.

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