Missionaries in New Caledonia relocated following civil unrest

Full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in New Caledonia have been relocated to other countries in the Pacific.

New Caledonia, an archipelago located roughly 750 miles east of Australia, has experienced civil unrest throughout May, according to news reports.

The archipelago, which is a collectivity of overseas France, has undergone protests and violent riots leading to a declaration of a state of emergency on May 16 and deployment of the French army.

Forty-four full-time missionaries have been reassigned to other countries while some missionaries, near the end of their service, were given the option to return home early, according to the Church’s Pacific Newsroom.

Two senior missionary couples opted to stay and continue their service in New Caledonia.

Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the Pacific Area presidency, thanked the missionaries for their faith and devotion to the Lord. He expressed deep gratitude for the fact that they were all safe and well and could now be in places where they could continue their missionary service.

The Church has roughly 2,500 members and one stake in the archipelago. New Caledonia is part of the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission.