Several aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) landed at Noumea Magenta Airport to begin evacuations of citizens.
The RAAF will evacuate approximately 300 citizens who signed up to be evacuated from the island.
L'évacuation des Australiens et des Néo-Zélandais bloqués en Nouvelle-Calédonie a débuté. Plusieurs appareils militaires de ces deux pays se sont posés à l'aéroport de Magenta.
Vidéo : Miri Tumatariri/NC la 1ere pic.twitter.com/VVI7Kta8fJ— NC La 1ère (@ncla1ere) May 21, 2024
New Zealand sent at least one C-130 Hercules tactical aircraft to New Caledonia to begin evacuating its citizens. The NZDF will evacuate around 50 citizens in several flights from the French territory.
Les cars transportant les ressortissants néo-zélandais en cours d'évactuation sont arrivés à l'aéroport de Magenta.
Images : Miri Tumatariri / NC la 1ère pic.twitter.com/tbLSfO3QW9— NC La 1ère (@ncla1ere) May 21, 2024
The evacuations come as the territory is experiencing unrest related to France reviewing a constitutional amendment that will expand the number of eligible voters on the island. The unrest led to the French government declaring a state of emergency on May 16th.
