The international airport on the Caribbean island of Martinique was forced to close, leaving passengers stranded due to unrest over the cost of living in the French territory.
Dozens of protesters stormed the runway at the capital’s Fort-de-France airport on Thursday, shutting it down. Inbound flights were diverted to nearby Guadeloupe, which is also French territory. The airport reopened on Friday.
The curfew remains in place until at least Monday after a wave of violent protests.
Authorities banned public gatherings and the purchase of items that could be used in arson attacks.
The protests began in September, demanding that local food prices be brought in line with those in mainland France, where food prices are 40% lower. One protester was shot dead and 26 police officers were injured during the riots.
A curfew has been in place on the island since then, and in late September the French government sent in riot police after protesters defied a ban on public gatherings.
Agence France-Presse said unrest broke out again on Monday as police attempted to remove barricades.
Burning roadblocks have been erected in many parts of the island in recent days, shops have been looted and vehicles burned.
AFPAFP said one of the 26 injured officers suffered a gunshot wound. On Thursday, a man died in hospital from similar wounds after a night of unrest. An investigation into his death has been launched.
Local authorities said police did not fire any shots.
French Overseas Minister François Noel Buffett condemned the violence and called for “responsibility and calm”.
Clement LanoResidents of France’s overseas territories have long complained about the high cost of living.
The protests in Martinique were organized by the Congress for the Defense of Afro-Caribbean People and Resources, which said food prices should be the same as in mainland France.
On Tuesday, Didier Laguerre, the mayor of Fort-de-France, acknowledged that the people of Martinique, home to 350,000 people, were struggling: “I understand their pain and their anger.”
