The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), which advocates full independence for the French territory of New Caledonia, said Wednesday it "unequivocally" rejects an agreement signed in Paris on the island's institutional status.
The latest agreement, known as the Elysee-Oudinot agreement, was signed on Jan. 19 between the French government and some New Caledonian political representatives.
The FLNKS said on the US social media platform Facebook that the text "does not constitute a political advance" and instead reflects the French state's attempt to impose its project for the territory by force.
It added that the agreement is incompatible with international law and New Caledonia's decolonization process.
The FLNKS accused Paris of engaging in "economic blackmail," arguing that debt relief, reconstruction funds and financial assistance were being presented as conditional on acceptance of the state's institutional project.
The statement warned that the agreement would undermine the political rights of the indigenous Kanak people and weaken prospects for self-determination.
The group said it also rejected the earlier Bougival Agreement, signed in July 2025, which aimed at creating a "New Caledonia state with special status within France," for the same reasons.
"The FLNKS will continue its political action so that the process toward full sovereignty is respected, as provided for in the Noumea Accord and international law," the statement said.
New Caledonia, located nearly 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) from mainland France, was rocked by violent unrest in May 2024 after the French government pushed forward constitutional reform allowing long-term French residents on the island to vote, a move critics said contradicted the 1998 Noumea Accord granting autonomy to the indigenous Kanak population.
