Vanuatu's UN Appeal Over Matthew and Hunter Islands Sparks Fierce New Caledonia Backlash

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Vanuatu’s permanent representative Oda Tevi declared that the nation had lodged an application with the International Court of Justice to obtain recognition of its sovereignty over the volcanic, uninhabited Matthew and Hunter islands, emphasizing customary governance and historic connections. The move follows Vanuatu’s withdrawal from bilateral talks with France over the islands and the surrounding maritime boundary.

French deputy Nicolas Metzdorf, a leading figure in the anti-independence Générations NC party, responded with a sarcastic, racially tinged open letter to New Caledonian Prime Minister Jotham Napat, echoing far-right campaigns to block any negotiated settlement. Metzdorf also circulated a revised maritime map suggesting a “land lease” that would incorporate several southern Vanuatu islands into New Caledonia. The FLNKS coalition condemned Metzdorf’s remarks as supremacist and demanded an apology from France. While President Emmanuel Macron recently lauded the ICJ, the French government has not yet indicated whether it will accept the court’s jurisdiction in the case.