French police have dismantled dozens of barricades blocking road access to New Caledonia's airport, but it could be days before visitors stranded by the unrest can get out.
A political leader of the indigenous Kanak is calling for calm, but told Newshub France must back away from its plans to change voting rules if it wants the protests to abate.
French authorities loaded the bodies of two dead police officers onto a military aircraft on Monday - casualties of the conflict which has also claimed the lives of four young Kanak.
French police said they've removed 76 barricades on the road to the airport overnight. But since then, more roadblocks have been set up.
Jimmy Naouna from the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front Political Bureau said the situation has got out of control and he's been urging calm from all sides.
"We did not call for all this violence. We have been calling for the roadblocks to stop."
The scenes unfolding in Noumea were sparked by moves in Paris to allow more French nationals living in New Caledonia to vote.
But Naouna said the wider context is failures of the decades-old Noumea Accord, a deal which came with promises of greater independence.
"The Noumea Accord in some ways did not fulfil the expectations of the local population, especially the youth."
Add to that the social and economic crisis in Noumea after COVID-19.
"Basically what we want is clear - that we're given the right to self-determination and that we decide on our own future."
The Accord allowed three referendums on independence. The last vote in 2021 was boycotted by indigenous voters due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Hundreds of Kanaks died from COVID-19. At the time, leaders said they could not ask their people to campaign or vote when their traditions required lengthy mourning rituals.
Naouna is calling on France to walk back its recent reforms.
"We call for this electoral reform to be suspended or totally withdrawn. That will give a signal to the protesters that we can proceed and pick up again on the talks."
Around 250 New Zealanders are waiting to get out of Noumea and are hoping a New Zealand Defence Force Hercules C-130 can get in.
But Defence Minister Judith Collins said Defence has not had the green light to leave yet.
"The Defence Force is ready, willing to go, able to go. The issue is that we really do need to wait and work with the French authorities."
As Defence waits, the situation has become increasingly complicated for people like Wellington resident Emma Roylands who's at the local university.
She's been teaching English to high school students in Noumea and wants to stay to resume teaching when the violence stops, saying she feels duty-bound not to leave her students.
But she said it has become challenging.
"Today there was a little bit of a setback. The university had to cancel its distribution of food for students. I assume it is because they can't get any trucks with food into the university," she told Newshub.
She said students were told on Monday not to move outside the grounds due to shots being fired.
A youth education centre block near the uni was recently targeted.
"It was burnt and broken into the night before last."
Another 200 arrests were made Sunday night - but France has acknowledged there are still "many obstacles" to overcome before order is restored.
