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In the French oversees territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, ethnic Kanaks (Melanesians) under the leadership of Jean-Marie Tjibaou (1937-89) established the Front de Liberation Nationale Kanake et Socialiste
(FLNKS), a militant independence movement, in 1984. In November, violent clashes began occurring between Kanaks and European settlers (mainly French) called
caldoces, who generally opposed independence from France. In January 1985, while fighting went on
between police and Kanak rebels (FLNKS leader Eloi Machoro was slain in an exchange of gunfire), many demonstrators denounced an independence proposal and rioted in
Noumea, the capital. A state of emergency was imposed, lasting for six months, and a transitional regime was instituted, allowing different groups to express their concerns about New Caledonia's progress toward independence in association with France.
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