In Martinique, several gendarmes injured after tensions, Retailleau sends reinforcements
By The New Obs with AFP
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, five gendarmes were slightly injured by pellet gunfire during a patrol to secure a road in Fort-de-France. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
Two squadrons of mobile gendarmes will be sent as reinforcements to Martinique, where urban tensions have been observed and five gendarmes have been slightly injured in recent days, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced on Wednesday, September 3.
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"Last night in Fort-de-France, criminals opened fire on mobile gendarmes, while security forces have been engaged since Monday to put an end to the blockades and roadblocks of the supporters of disorder," the minister wrote on X (ex-Twitter).
"At my request, two squadrons of mobile gendarmes ," some 150 people, "will soon be coming to reinforce Martinique's internal security forces. The island's inhabitants must know that everything is being done to protect them," he added.
"Blazing barrages" and "throwing projectiles"Five gendarmes were slightly injured by pellet gunfire during a patrol to secure a road in Fort-de-France on Tuesday night, a source within the gendarmerie told AFP.
Three people were also arrested on Tuesday "during the attempt to block the entrance to the airport," the prefect of Martinique said in a statement on Wednesday.
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, he said, "a minority of violent individuals" erected "flaming roadblocks" and targeted the police "with projectiles." These roadblocks have since been cleared, the prefecture emphasized.
These tensions come a year after protests against the high cost of living on this Caribbean island, where food is on average 40% more expensive than in mainland France, according to 2022 figures from INSEE. Riots broke out during the protests in September and October 2024.
By The New Obs with AFP
