After a period of relative calm, renewed unrest in France's Pacific territory New Caledonia erupted overnight, with several buildings and vehicles being torched, authorities said on Monday.
The French High Commission said the "night was turbulent" and marked by unrest throughout the mainland and the nearby islands of Île des Pins and Maré.
The commission said a police station and vehicles were set alight in Dumbea, north of the capital Nouméa. A fire was also lit at the Koumac town hall, while the Maré territorial brigade was attacked.
One man was shot and injured, broadcaster France Info reported.
The situation had not calmed down over the course of Monday, the report continued. Shots could still be heard in some parts of the country.
Many schools, which were supposed to reopen on Monday, remained closed, it was reported.
In May, France sent hundreds of police to New Caledonia and declared a 12-day state of emergency due to pro-independence protests, in which at least seven people died and hundreds were detained, following plans in Paris to introduce a constitutional amendment.
The law change would grant thousands of French-born inhabitants of the archipelago the right to vote in provincial elections and give them more political influence.
New Caledonia's pro-independence movement fears the change will result in a weakening of political influence among the Indigenous Kanak people.
In three referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021, the inhabitants of the former French colony voted in favour of remaining part of France. However, since the last vote, boycotted by the separatists, talks on a new status have stalled.
New Caledonia has historically been important to France in military and geopolitical terms, as well as due to its large nickel deposits.
