THERE IS NO FRANCE:

In a succinct one-page communiqué sent to the daily newspapers Corse-Matin, the militant group noted Corsica has "no common destiny with France."

Largely dormant since 2016, the FLNC was roused into action following Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna's death last year. While in prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of prefect Claude Érignac, Colonna--who had fast become a symbol of the armed struggle against the French state--died after being attacked by a fellow inmate.

After Colonna's death, riots broke out in Corsica, which is otherwise known as the Île de Beauté ( 'Island of Beauty'). In an effort to bring a halt to the violence, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin then pledged that Paris would consider granting the island more autonomy.

While Corsican authorities have gradually accrued more powers over the decades, complete autonomy for the wayward island has long been considered taboo in Paris. The French government, not without cause, fears that a Paris that shows itself too mollified might embolden other regions with separatist inclinations, such as the French Basque Country and Brittany.

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