New Caledonia’s main pro-independence coalition, the Front de libération nationale kanak socialiste, formally rejected the Bougival accord during a news conference in Nouméa on 13 August. The decision, endorsed at an extraordinary congress four days earlier, was announced by Dominique Fochi, who said the text was “incompatible with the foundations of our struggle.” Initialled near Paris on 12 July under the auspices of French Overseas Territories Minister Manuel Valls, the accord proposes creating an “État de Nouvelle-Calédonie” and a distinct Caledonian nationality, with scope to transfer sovereign powers such as justice, policing and currency. It does not, however, schedule a fresh referendum on independence—an omission that triggered opposition from FLNKS leaders, including president Christian Tein, who denounced the deal as a “march-force agreement proposed by Macron.” The rejection complicates Paris’s effort to replace the 1998 Nouméa Accord and stabilise the territory after riots in May 2024 that left 14 people dead and caused several billion euros of damage. Valls said he will travel to the archipelago in the week of 18 August to salvage what he calls a “historic compromise,” while FLNKS signalled willingness to meet him but warned against any attempt to impose the pact unilaterally. FLNKS intends instead to negotiate a “Kanaky accord” by 24 September 2025, aiming for full sovereignty before France’s 2027 presidential election. The stand-off leaves the timeline for institutional reforms, including postponed provincial elections, uncertain and raises the risk of renewed tension if no consensus is reached.