World News 14 October 2026 18:05 (UTC +04:00)
Photo: AZERTAC
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 14. Dimitri Qenegei, a Kanak politician and public figure, official representative of the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), and one of the leaders of the New Caledonia (Kanaky) independence movement, has called for an end to French colonization, saying the Kanak people will continue their struggle until the colonial chapter is closed.
Qenegei made the remarks in a video statement published on the official social media channels of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).
He thanked BIG for providing an opportunity to express his views at a conference held at the United Nations, saying the event also helped draw international attention to the Kanak people and their existence.
“This also allows us to show the world, the outside world, that in Kanaky there is a country, there is a people that exists, and this people will endure for as long as it takes, until we close this colonial chapter,” he said.
Qenegei stressed that it was time to end French colonial rule, arguing that the Kanak people could no longer accept continued colonization and marginalization.
“After 72 years of colonization, we cannot allow France to continue colonizing and marginalizing us. And we need to see that sun rise one day,” he said.
He added that France should learn how to decolonize, arguing that the country had yet to demonstrate an understanding of the process.
“I think it would also do France some good to learn, for once, how to decolonize, because France does not know how to decolonize at all,” Qenegei concluded.