France will send "around 1,000 additional security personnel" to Pacific territory New Caledonia, hit by deadly riots in recent days, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Thursday, APA reports citing foreign media.
"The situation... is still very tense, with looting, riots, arson, and assaults that are intolerable and unspeakable," Attal said after meeting President Emmanuel Macron, adding that the reinforcements would join "1,700 staff already on the ground".
The office of the high commissioner, which represents the French state in New Caledonia, said in a statement that five people had been placed under house arrest as “alleged sponsors of the violent disturbances” and that more searches would take place “in the coming hours”.
More than 200 “rioters” had been arrested, it added.
The authorities are “determined to quickly restore public order and take all necessary measures to protect the population of New Caledonia,” the statement said.
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