BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 5. France is reportedly accelerating the emigration of politically and economically active Kanak youth from New Caledonia, continuing policies that exploit colonial territories and exert control over local populations through legal and coercive means, the statement of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) said, Trend reports.
"Amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and digital technologies and a global economy entering a new technological era, France continues to exploit its colonial territories, using legal and coercive measures to control the local population and compel them to abandon their ancestral lands," the group said.
The BIG highlighted that census results for the local Kanak population in 2019 and 2025 reveal a clear and deepening demographic decline in Kanak (New Caledonia). The territory’s permanent population fell from 271,407 in 2019 to 264,596 in 2025, marking a loss of 6,811 people over six years. This decline, driven by an average annual outflow of more than 1,200 residents, represents a demographic drop of roughly 2.5% and is the first population decrease observed in the past 75 years.
Statistical data point to France’s deliberate marginalization of Kanaki communities as a key driver of the trend. Limited access to education and employment, uncertainty over stable futures, worsening socio-economic conditions, restricted healthcare and public services, the absence of a fair judicial system, and harsh, repressive, and discriminatory actions by law enforcement under directives from the metropolis have all contributed to increasing mass migration. The deterioration of security and systematic curbs on political, economic, and social rights have further intensified these population movements.
Alongside the Kanak population’s exodus, the territory’s population is aging, and the proportion of children and young people is declining, highlighting the severity of the demographic crisis. Observers emphasize that France’s policy of relocating politically and economically active Kanak youth abroad is intended to weaken local independence movements, reduce the Kanak share of New Caledonia’s population, boost the influx of European and other migrants from the metropolis, and ultimately dilute local demands for independence in the long term.
"The exodus of young, educated, and promising Kanak individuals is slowing local economic development and deepening New Caledonia’s dependence on France. This reliance is reinforced through financial and resource channels such as subsidies, investments, and import dependency. Meanwhile, French companies, particularly in the nickel sector, can offset the decline in local labor by bringing in workers from France or other foreign migrants. Observers note that this policy also serves to mask shortcomings and failures in France’s domestic governance.
Promises of reconstruction and development made by French President Emmanuel Macron and other high-ranking officials to the people of Mayotte, devastated by Cyclone Chido in 2024, remain unfulfilled. Although the Minister of Overseas Territories, Naima Muchu, announced a financial commitment of over 674 million euros for the island, much of it intended through a special budget line, the budget approved by the French National Assembly did not allocate any specific funds for Mayotte’s reconstruction.
Consequently, France's leadership has demonstrated a stark indifference to the ongoing post-disaster crisis on the island, leaving the reconstruction efforts financially uncertain and devoid of support. This situation underscores a broader, systemic neglect that France perpetuates toward its colonial territories, reflecting a policy that subtly coerces local populations into abandoning their homelands out of frustration," the group noted.
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