Violence continued to rage across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day on Thursday, following France's imposition of a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory. The French government has rushed additional security forces to the region to control the unrest in the archipelago, which has long sought independence.

French authorities in New Caledonia and the Interior Ministry in Paris reported that five people, including two police officers, were killed after protests over voting changes proposed by President Emmanuel Macron's administration turned violent earlier this week.

New Caledonia's top French official, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, stated that at least 60 members of the security forces were injured and 214 people were arrested in clashes with police, arson, and looting on Thursday.

"Everything is being done to restore order and the peace that Caledonians deserve," French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said following a meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris. He noted that in addition to the 1,700 security forces already deployed, 1,000 more are on the way, although the situation "remains very tense, with looting, riots, arson, and attacks that are intolerable and unspeakable."

Two members of the island's indigenous Kanak community were among the five dead, French Interior and Overseas Territories Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed on Thursday. He vowed that France "will regain full control."

He added that 10 individuals, allegedly from the pro-independence group known as the Field Action Coordination Unit, were placed under house arrest. This group had organized several protests against French authorities on the island in April.

However, Darmanin characterized the group as a "small faction that calls itself pro-independence but engages in looting, murder, and violence."

Leaders of a Kanak Workers Union in Paris called for calm and expressed deep sadness over the deaths in their homeland. "We wish to see the French government make a strong statement rather than send troops," union leader Stone Haocas told reporters on Thursday. "Initiating a dialogue would be a strong statement."

In New Caledonia, the National Council of Chiefs of the Indigenous Kanak people condemned "all violent incidents and use of weapons," but rejected claims that the pro-independence movement was involved in the deadly violence. Grand Chief Hippolyte Sinewami-Htamumu expressed full support for the pro-independence group, which has mobilized over a hundred thousand people "of all ages and from all backgrounds" in peaceful protests recently in the capital, Nouméa, and across the island.

"This is not a 'terrorist group' or 'mafia group,' as some political leaders would have us believe," he said in a statement on Thursday.

The state of emergency will remain in place for at least 12 days as French military forces are deployed to protect ports and airports and free up police units. The curfew has been extended until Friday morning, according to Le Franc, the high commissioner.

Political parties in the territory have also called for calm on both sides – those supporting independence and those wanting the island to remain part of France.

The last time France imposed emergency powers on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia. These measures allow French and local authorities in the archipelago to manage unrest, authorizing house arrests for those deemed a threat to public order, permitting searches, weapon seizures, and restricting movement, with potential imprisonment for violators.

The Pacific island, located east of Australia, is home to around 270,000 people and is known to tourists for its UNESCO World Heritage atolls and reefs. Tensions have simmered for decades between the Indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.

People of European descent in New Caledonia, which has long served as France's penal colony and now hosts a French military base, identify as descendants of colonizers and those forcibly sent to the territory.

This week's unrest erupted as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to change voter rolls in New Caledonia. The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for five years to vote in provincial elections.

Opponents argue that this will favor pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who have previously endured harsh segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

Macron stated on Wednesday that he would convene Congress, a joint session of legislators from both houses of the French parliament, at the end of June to amend the constitution and enact the bill without significant dialogue and consensus among local representatives.

New Caledonia became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon's nephew and successor. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.

A peace agreement between rival groups was reached in 1988. A decade later, France pledged to grant New Caledonia political power and broad autonomy and hold up to three successive referendums on the island's future.

The referendums held between 2018 and 2021 saw a majority of voters choose to remain part of France rather than support independence.

The pro-independence Kanak people rejected the results of the last referendum in 2021, which they boycotted because it was held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.