Riots in New Caledonia: “I am sad to see what is happening there, I am afraid, and at the same time, I am angry”, testifies Kanak Antoine Kombouaré

Antoine Kombouaré deplores the situation on the island two days before his team travels to Monaco for the 34th and final day of L1. MAXPPP – Jérôme Fouquet

The coach of FC Nantes-Atlantique expresses his "fear" and his "anger" facing the situation in New Caledonia, where his whole family lives.

Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré, of Kanak origin, expressed his "fear" and his "anger" in the face of the violence which is shaking New Caledonia following an electoral reform contested by the separatists.

"I can say that I'm sad. Sad to see what is happening there. I'm scared. And at the same time, I am angry because what we see there today is not beautiful. And above all, there are people who are suffering, there are deaths", reacted the technician at a press conference, two days before his team traveled to Monaco for the account of the 34th and final day of Ligue 1.

The most serious violence since the end of the 80s

"In these cases, it is better not to speak. There is a moment of contemplation, there are far too many deaths. Today you have five deaths. I don't like the image I see today of my country", he added.

I am very angry because upon arrival, this is not normal. So, we didn’t do what we needed to do to avoid all that

"I have my father, I have all my family, my brother there. I said what I had to say. Today I am very sad, unhappy about everything I see. And then at the same time, I am very angry because upon arrival, this is not normal. So, we didn’do what was necessary to avoid all that", also declared Kombouaré.

New Caledonia has been plagued by violent riots since the start of the week against the backdrop of controversial electoral reform.

Since Monday, this violence, the most serious to have occurred in New Caledonia since the end of the 1980s, has left 5 dead, including two gendarmes, and hundreds injured, according to the authorities.