Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday appealed for calm in Corsica after the death in prison of Yvan Colonna, a nationalist who was strangled by an inmate on mainland France sparking violent riots on the restive Mediterranean island.

The riots turned the Corsican question into a surprise French presidential campaign issue and prompted an emergency visit by Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, who said Paris was open to discussions on “autonomy” for the island.

Colonna, a shepherd, was serving a life sentence at a prison in the southern French city of Arles for the 1998 murder of prefect Claude Erignac, the highest state representative on the island. He said he was innocent.

Speaking to France Bleu radio, Mr Macron, who polls suggest is heading for a second five-year term after elections on April 10 and 24, said: “The most important thing is that the calm is maintained, that talks continue.”

“A man has died. It’s a serious situation … we can’t allow such things to happen in our prisons,” he added.

Prosecutors have launched a terrorism investigation into the incident at the prison.