FLNC-UC threatens non-Corsicans in clandestine press conference, French anti-terror prosecutor opens investigation

Clandestine press conference

The FLNC-UC (Front de libération nationale corse, Union des Combattants) held a clandestine press conference at an undisclosed location and date, first revealed by Corse-Matin on the evening of Wednesday 5 August. Corse-Matin was the only media outlet to attend. Around 15 hooded individuals armed with rifles and submachine guns stood before a large FLNC flag and read a five-page communiqué. They described the autonomy process approved by the National Assembly on 23 June as a "mascarade" and threatened non-Corsican "invaders" settling on the island. The group's message to outsiders was blunt: stay home, and do not consider yourselves safe on Corsican national territory.

Anti-terror investigation

On 6 August, the parquet national antiterroriste (Pnat) opened a preliminary investigation for "association de malfaiteurs en vue de la préparation d'actes de terrorisme". The probe also covers the acquisition, possession and transport of category A and B weapons, ammunition or weapon components linked to a terrorist enterprise. This was the FLNC-UC's first public appearance since 4 August 2024, at the Journées internationales de Corte in Haute-Corse. The group had been silent for two years before this statement.

Political reactions

Jean-Christophe Angelini, mayor of Porto-Vecchio and president of the autonomist group Avanzemu in the Assembly of Corsica, said the press conference marks the FLNC's return to public debate in a form not chosen for some time. He supports the autonomy process currently before Parliament and urged dialogue over violence.

There is no solution in the continuation of the conflict.

Angelini added that democratic, non-violent expression through the ballot box works, and that critical voices should not be synonymous with a return to political violence. He called for turning the page definitively to embrace a future of peace for coming generations.

Historical context

The FLNC was created in the night of 4 to 5 May 1976, when around 20 explosions struck Corsica, Nice and Marseille. The group celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2026. Its last claimed "nuit bleue" dates to October 2023, when 45 explosions targeted mainly second homes and a disused tax center in Ajaccio, causing no injuries. Antoine Giannini, a Corse-Matin journalist who attended the clandestine press conference, assessed that the late-2023 attacks were far from the "nuits bleues" of the late 1970s and 1980s, and that almost nothing has happened since.

We are doing quite well in terms of representation.

Giannini estimated that further FLNC actions are unlikely, citing advances in police investigation techniques linked to DNA, the movement's loss of momentum, and the dwindling number of fighters available to carry on the struggle.

Autonomy process and what's next

The National Assembly approved the constitutional reform on 23 June with 271 votes against 202. The bill must next be examined by the Senate starting 21 October. The exact scope of Corsican autonomy would be defined in a subsequent law, but the constitutional reform requires a three-fifths majority in the French Congress. The FLNC-UC rejects the plan, calling the negotiations a sham and saying the reform would lead to the negation of the Corsican people's existence.

The Journées internationales de Corte, organized by the pro-armed-struggle independence party Nazione, are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday 8 and 9 August in Haute-Corse. The event gathers independence voices from French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Comoros, New Caledonia, Catalonia and the Basque Country.