Police in New Caledonia have briefly closed the main road south of Noumea as part of an operation in the St Louis area.
Police officers guard the road in Mont-Dore, to the south of New Caledonia's capital, Noumea. The road is frequently closed by armed protesters. Photo: AFP
Reports say the road was closed for less than an hour for the operation which included the use of a helicopter.
No details were released but this follows a brief road closure by police yesterday.
There have been problems along the same stretch of road for several weeks with gunmen injuring five policemen in the worst of clashes.
Dozens of stolen cars have also been dumped and set alight.
The violence has been condemned but there have been no arrests.
The repeated roadblocks and the lack of security have led to calls to build another road to avoid the St Louis area.