He knows the political, cultural and economic workings of society in New Caledonia like the back of his hand. Appointed to Nouméa in 2020, where he held several positions in the service of the State, Rémi Bastille had over time become “the” reference senior civil servant of the archipelago. Appointed prefect of Doubs at the start of the year, the forty-year-old has necessarily kept strong connections with New Caledonian realities.
His detailed knowledge of the area makes him a privileged interlocutor for the Elysée, forced to manage – since May 13 – a violent crisis remotely. Emmanuel Macron therefore chose to take Rémi Bastille on the presidential plane, expected this Wednesday evening in Nouméa.
A mission with still unclear contours
The prefect of Doubs was assigned to a very official “mission”: to restore a constructive dialogue with the Kanak separatists, fiercely opposed to a project to overhaul the electoral body… Project on which Rémi Bastille had personally worked on before his arrival in Franche-Comté , in his capacity as Secretary General of the High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia. Two other officials are in the same boat: Éric Thiers and Frédéric Potier, also fine connoisseurs of the archipelago.
The duration and modalities of this rescue mission still remain unclear. For almost ten days, the riots in New Caledonia have already left six dead, while generating worrying situations of chaos, with looting, destruction, fires and a maximum feeling of insecurity.
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