French President Emmanuel Macron admitted his country used “repressive violence” in Cameroon during the 1950s, as the West African nation fought for its independence.
In a letter sent to Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya last month, Macron acknowledged the actions of French colonial troops.
The letter was made public by Macron’s office on Tuesday, and comes at a time when France’s current presence in its former African colonies has become increasingly contested.
This comes following an official report, commissioned by France in 2022, which found that France used mass forced displacement, pushed scores of Cameroonians into internment camps and supported militias known for their brutality, all with the purpose of battling the country’s aspiration for independence.
French violence continued after independence
The report was compiled by a 14-person committee made of French and Cameroonian historians who looked at France’s role in Cameroon between 1945 and 1971, noting that the French army’s repressive measures continued after the country’s independence in 1960.
“The historians of the commission made it very clear that there was a war in Cameroon, during which the colonial authorities and the French army carried out repressive violence of several kinds that continued after 1960,” Macron said in the letter.
“It is incumbent on me today to accept France’s role and responsibility in these events.”
The French president also acknowledged France’s role in the death of Cameroonian leaders Ruben Um Nyobe, Paul Momo, Isaac Nyobe Pandjock and Jeremie Ndelene, all of whom were killed between 1958 and 1960 in French-commanded military operations.
France’s repressive measures in the fight against Cameroon’s independence cost “tens of thousands of lives,” Macron said.
France’s colonial legacy under scrutiny
Most parts of Cameroon came under French rule in World War I, after the country’s previous colonial ruler, Germany, suffered a defeat in the war. The rest of the country was colonized by Britain.
Cameroon started pushing for independence during World War II, with France reacting with repression and violence, the report said.
The report is part of Macron’s push for France to come to terms with its own colonial history, even though many argue his moves do not go far enough.
A report released in 2021 found that France bore “overwhelming responsibilities” in the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994, while a 2020 report looked in to France’s role during Algeria’s war of independence, ending up calling for a “truth commission” and other measures.
Macron ruled out officially apologizing for the abuses carried out by French soldiers in Algeria.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
