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BIG: France's relocation of Kanak youth from New Caledonia aims to weaken demands for independence

05 February 2026 15:08 (UTC +04:00)

France continues its policy of exploiting colonial territories and controlling the local population through legal and coercive mechanisms, forcing people to leave their ancestral lands, even at a time when artificial intelligence and digital technologies are rapidly developing, and the global economy is entering a new technological phase, the Baku Initiative Group said in a statement, APA reports.

It was noted that the results of population censuses of the indigenous Kanak people for 2019 and 2025 clearly demonstrate a systematic and deepening demographic decline in Kanaky (New Caledonia).

“In 2019, the permanent population of the territory stood at 271,407, while in 2025 this figure fell to 264,596. Over the past six years, a population decrease of 6,811 people has been recorded in Kanaky. This decline, amounting to approximately 2.5 percent, is characterized by the departure of more than 1,200 people from New Caledonia annually on average and is assessed as the first demographic downturn observed in the past 75 years,” the statement said.

It was also emphasized that, according to statistical data, France’s deliberate exclusion of Kanaky from socio-economic development, restrictions on education and employment opportunities, uncertainty over stable future prospects for the local population, the gradual deterioration of socio-economic conditions, limited access to healthcare and public services, the absence of a fair judicial system, as well as harsh, repressive, and discriminatory behavior by law-enforcement bodies receiving unlawful instructions from the Metropole (France), the worsening security environment, and the consistent and systematic restriction of political, economic, and social rights are among the main reasons behind the growing trend of mass migration among the Kanaky population.

"In parallel with the Kanaki population leaving the area, the aging process in the overall population structure is accelerating, while the proportion of children and young people is decreasing, which leads to a more pronounced and sharp demographic decline."

Note that France’s deliberate policy of relocating Kanak youth—particularly politically and economically active segments of the population—to other countries is aimed at weakening local independence movements, reducing the proportion of the Kanak population in New Caledonia, increasing the number of European and other migrants arriving from the Metropole, and ultimately diminishing independence demands and referendum prospects in the long term.

The departure of young, educated, and promising individuals from Kanaky slows local economic development. This process increases the economic dependence of New Caledonia and other colonial territories on France, deepening financial and resource dependence on the Metropole through subsidies, investments, and import reliance. At the same time, French companies—particularly corporations operating in the nickel sector—are able to compensate for the decline in the local workforce by bringing in workers from France or other foreign migrants.

According to the statement, the French government is attempting to conceal shortcomings and failures in its domestic policy through this approach.

It was also recalled that promises of reconstruction and development made by French President Emmanuel Macron and other senior officials to the people of Mayotte, which was severely affected by Cyclone Chido in 2024, have yet to be fulfilled. On January 22, 2026, Minister for Overseas Territories Naïma Moutchou announced that France had committed more than €674 million in funding for Mayotte, a significant portion of which was to be secured through a special budget line. However, the budget adopted by the French National Assembly on February 2, 2026, included no special budget line or allocated funds for Mayotte’s reconstruction.

As a result, the French leadership has continued its indifferent attitude toward the island’s post-disaster situation, leaving its promises at the level of formal documents, while Mayotte’s reconstruction process remains financially uncertain and unsupported. This decision is described as a clear example of France’s consistent policy toward territories under colonial control—marked by neglect and actions that ultimately push local populations to abandon their homelands.