French authorities report sixth fatality in New Caledonia violence

By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press

French security forces have reported another death in armed clashes in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. The fatality Saturday was the sixth in a nearly a week of violent unrest wracking the archipelago, where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. A security official said the person was killed in an exchange of fire at one of the many impromptu barricades that have been erected to block roads on the island. The official said two other people were seriously injured in the exchange of fire. Two police officers were among those who died earlier. The violence has prompted the government in Paris to impose a state of emergency on the archipelago and rush in police reinforcements.