Why unrest in tiny French territory named after Scotland has erupted amid claims Azerbaijan is involved

France has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in the situation in New Caledonia

French president Emmanuel Macron is to travel to the French territory of New Caledonia, where more than 270 rioters have been arrested in violent clashes over election reforms.

The Australian and New Zealand governments have begun evacuation flights to remove their citizens from the archipelago in the Pacific, east of Australia. More than 1,000 security personnel from France have been sent to attempt to quell the riots, with hundreds more due to arrive on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, France has claimed Azerbaijan – as well as Russia and China – have fuelled the riots, as Azerbaijani flags began appearing in independence protests held by the indigenous Kanak people.

People gather near an overturned car in the Motor Pool district in Noumea, New Caledonia, amid protests linked to a debate on a constitutional bill aimed at enlarging the electorate for upcoming elections of the overseas French territory.

At least six people have died and hundreds more have been injured in the riots. The unrest began last week over France’s efforts to expand voter lists that critics believe would benefit pro-France politicians on New Caledonia and further marginalise the Kanak people, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

Residents and tourists have reported food shortages, amid fires and looting as the riots spread throughout the group of islands. Road blocks paralysed main routes, while the airport in Noumea remains closed for commercial flights until at least Sunday.

A curfew has been imposed from 6pm to 6am in New Caledonia, which was named by explorer Captain James Cook due to its resemblance to Scotland. It is not to be confused with another island of the same name, which was a colonisation attempt by Scotland in the late 1600s, known as the Darien scheme.

There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks on New Caledonia seeking independence and descendants of colonisers who want to remain part of France. The electoral reform bill, passed by Paris, allows residents who have lived in New Caledonia for ten years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

People queue to enter a supermarket to purchase groceries and food in the Magenta district of Noumea, France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, where anger over France's plan to impose new voting rules has spiralled into the deadliest violence in four decades in the archipelago of 270,000 people, which lies between Australia and Fiji.

France's interior minister Gérald Darmanin said he believed Azerbaijan, along with China and Russia, was interfering in the situation.

"This isn’t a fantasy, it’s a reality,” Mr Darmanin told French TV. Azerbaijan has denied the claims.

"We completely reject the baseless accusations," said Ayhan Hajizadeh, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry. "We refute any connection between the leaders of the struggle for freedom in Caledonia and Azerbaijan."

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Australian foreign minister Penny Wong confirmed Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two flights to evacuate citizens and other tourists from New Caledonia.

One plane had already taken off on Tuesday morning, while an air force plane from New Zealand is also believed to have arrived on the islands. “We continue to work on further flights,” Ms Wong wrote on X.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. New Zealand said it wanted to evacuate 50 of its nationals from Noumea, the Pacific island’s capital, in the first in a series of proposed flights to bring its citizens home.

“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. “In co-operation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days.”