The French government has deployed special and army forces to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to put a stop to the demonstrations, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin announced on Tuesday.

Despite Prime Minister Jean Castex's plea for discussion on Tuesday, the initial actions were geared at bolstering police deployment, with 50 agents of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group and 200 police officers deployed, bringing the total number of troops deployed to 2,250.

Darmanin emphasized that restoring public order is a “prerequisite for any debate” and “the response of the State is firm”.   In the previous few hours, "more than 90 arrests" and more than 60 people have been transported to prison, he said to France Inter.

The protests, which began on November 15, were sparked by criticism of Paris's handling of the health crisis in Guadeloupe, as well as the island's catastrophic socioeconomic position, with a third of the population living in poverty and over 20% unemployed.

In terms of socioeconomic difficulties, Castex stated that Minister for Overseas France, Sebastien Lecornu, will be in charge of implementing relief measures, but the focus “must be the return to calm” and the cessation of violence, as seen by aggressions and theft.