Covid, mourning and the spectre of violence: New Caledonia prepares for blighted independence vote

Pro-independence groups have called for Indigenous voters not to take part in Sunday's long-awaited ballot, saying proper campaigning has been prevented

New Caledonia is set to hold a referendum on independence from France this weekend, the third and final poll meant to conclude a decolonisation process initiated 30 years ago.

For anyone who witnessed the first two referenda, the contrast with the vote set for 12 December is striking: instead of the countless Kanaky flags or the red, white and blue of the French tricolour that adorned houses, balconies, roadsides, pickups or even people in the run-up to the 2018 and 2020 votes, this year there is little to see. On the Place des Cocotiers, in the centre of Noumea, the capital, the quiet is disturbed only by the incessant patrolling of police trucks, part of the increased security around the vote.