New Caledonia's Kanak and Socialist National Liberation officially withdraws from 'Bougival Agreement'

The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de Bougival”, accusing the French state of misrepresentation and “brute force” tactics in New Caledonia’s decolonisation process.

According to information obtained by AnewZ, this withdrawal marks the coalition’s strongest rejection yet of the French government’s handling of the process.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal - with copies to President Emmanuel Macron and the heads of the French Parliament - the FLNKS leadership said their signatures, placed on 12 July 2025, were never meant to endorse a final agreement but only a draft project to be reviewed internally.

The movement condemned what it called the French government’s “instrumentalization” of the draft, notably its presentation as an “historic agreement” and publication in the Journal officiel de la République française.

At its 45th Congress, the FLNKS unanimously rejected the Bougival project, mandating its Political Bureau to pursue “all necessary steps, including legal action,” against the “abusive use” of its signatures.

The letter reaffirms that only dialogue grounded in the Nouméa Accord and international principles of decolonisation can provide a legitimate way forward for New Caledonia.

“The French state’s passage en force undermines the sovereignty of our institutions,” the FLNKS leaders wrote, urging Paris to formally acknowledge the withdrawal.

The declaration was signed by leading FLNKS figures, including Emmanuel Tjibaou, Rock Wamytan, Aloisio Sako, Mickael Forrest, and Omayra Naisseline.

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