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French Military Police Perform Security Halt In New Caledonia
Published 5 months ago
More footage has surfaced from the Pacific island nation of New Caledonia, showing French gendarmerie is a security halt, seeking cover and pulling security from inside a perimeter made up of civilian style vehicles.
There seems to be a significant amount of equipment lying on the ground suggesting they are cross loading gear to a partner unit, or possibly removing equipment from a downed vehicle. Plumes of smoke can be seen tens of meters from the assembly area in multiple locations. It's not clear if it is the result of smoke grenades for concealment or burning from the ongoing hostilities.
According to reports, many within the indigenous population are angry about a recently implemented voting reform policy that would give anyone who has resided on the island more than ten years the ability to vote in local elections, a privilege only indigenous people had previously been allowed.
France had initially sent 1,700 troops, but more were needed as the protesting is widespread and violent. At least four people have died and hundreds more injured in the unrest.
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Will Killmore
Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter