Submitted by NoPotatoes in indigenous

The Melanesian territory, a collection of islands some 750 miles off the eastern coast of Australia, is the world's fourth-largest producer of nickel — a key component of lithium batteries used in electric cars. The territory's nickel industry is dominated by foreign companies, with France's Eramet conglomerate the largest nickel mine owner.

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Indigenous Kanak make up about 41% of New Caledonia's nearly 289,000 people; those of European descent are about 24% of the population.

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After a period of deadly civil unrest in the 1980s, New Caledonia and France inked agreements in 1988 and 1998 in an attempt to bring peace between the indigenous people and the French military. In the 1998 Nouméa Accord, named for New Caledonia's capital, France promised it would grant increased political power to the territory and to Kanaks over the next 20 years. But every New Caledonian government since then, says Maclellan, has been run by parties loyal to France, with presidents of European descent.

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