French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which is being rocked by serious unrest.
A French government spokeswoman said Macron will leave late Tuesday for the Pacific archipelago, located 1,500 kilometers east of Australia.
France has sent 2,700 police officers and some military units to New Caledonia in the wake of riots that left six people dead and more than 200 people arrested.
A state of emergency is also in force in the area, although the situation has improved in recent days, the spokeswoman said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand sent planes to bring home stranded citizens from the violence-hit region.
The protests emerged in response to proposed electoral reforms that would give French citizens the right to vote in provincial elections after ten years of residence in the area.
New Caledonia’s indigenous Kanak people, who have long campaigned for independence, accused Paris of pushing through the controversial reform without taking into account strong opposition among the majority of the area’s residents.
The archipelago was granted extensive autonomy under the 1998 Nouméa Agreement. Paris is currently trying to reach a new agreement with political leaders in the area, which is strategically located in the South Pacific Ocean.
