Sydney/Wellington —Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris.
France’s High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings.
There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said.
Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists.
“New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days – and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
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