"We will further strengthen the airlift to restore the order that has been put in place, to send 1,000 more internal security forces, in addition to the 1,700 already on the ground," French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal explained today.

The situation in the archipelago "remains very tense, with looting, riots, fires and assaults", for which the Paris government wants "heavier sentences", he added.

Incidents in New Caledonia worsened on Monday after the presentation of a new bill adopted in Paris, which determines that French residents who have lived in the archipelago for ten years are authorized to vote in local elections.

Local political leaders fear that New Caledonia's forces will be weakened by the new measure.

The security reinforcement was triggered in an attempt to restore order in the archipelago, which is under a state of emergency, and the last few nights have been marked by riots that have already caused four deaths, in addition to the accidental death of a police officer.

After two nights of incidents in a context of revolt against the electoral reform, Wednesday night was "less violent", but there were still "very significant confrontations" in the archipelago, according to the representative of the French government, Louis Le Franc.

French President Emmanuel Macron decreed a state of emergency, which allows authorities to restrict freedom of movement and assembly and the use of social media.

According to the government, the military deployed to the archipelago will be mobilized to "protect" the ports and the Noumea airport, which has been closed since Monday.

President Macron deplored the acts of violence and defended "the need to resume political dialogue", having proposed a videoconference with elected representatives of New Caledonia.

The remote contact that was scheduled for today was suspended.

Meanwhile, the French prime minister also warned today that the return to order is a "prerequisite for continuing the dialogue".

On the other hand, the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the French overseas territories, said that ten "leaders" of the Coordination Cell for Field Actions (CCAT), the "most radical" faction of the Kanak Socialist Liberation Front (FLNKS), were placed under house arrest.

This organization "is mafia-like, violent, commits looting and murders", said the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, today, in statements to France 2 television.

Although the night from Wednesday to Thursday was less violent, the Noumea area was again targeted by looting and fires. It was here that the locals began to organize the protection of neighborhoods and erected makeshift barricades, on which they placed white flags.

At the same time, France and Azerbaijan today exchanged accusations about the riots in the French territory of New Caledonia, with Paris denouncing Azeri "interference" and Baku demanding an end to the French accusations.

"Azerbaijan is not a fantasy, it is a reality", replied the French Minister of the Interior and Overseas, Gérald Darmanin, when asked about a possible Chinese, Russian or Azeri involvement in instigating the wave of violence.

Darmanin regretted that "some of the pro-independence Caledonian leaders have reached an agreement with Azerbaijan".

Azerbaijan considers France's accusations to be "unfounded".

"We totally reject the unfounded accusations made by the French Minister of the Interior", declared the Azerbaijani diplomatic service in a statement on the situation in the French archipelago in the South Pacific.

"We deny any connection between the leaders of the Caledonian liberation struggle and Azerbaijan", he added, denouncing what he called "insulting statements" and "a defamation campaign" conducted by Paris.

According to the French television station TF1, Azerbaijani flags were raised in Noumea by a group linked to Baku that supports the independentists.

On Wednesday, in a television report by TF1, some of the archipelago's independentists wore T-shirts with the Azerbaijani flag.

According to the France Presse agency, in March, the Azerbaijani media showed demonstrators from New Caledonia displaying photographs of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, in Noumea, the territory's capital.

Also Read: France and Azerbaijan exchange accusations over violence in New Caledonia (Portuguese version)