Macron acknowledges France’s role in Cameroon repression

French President Emmanuel Macron has officially recognised France’s involvement in the harsh repression that occurred during Cameroon’s fight for independence, according to reports by French media.

Macron’s acknowledgement came in a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, based on the findings of a joint Franco-Cameroonian commission that examined France’s role in Cameroon between 1945 and 1971.

“Historians have made it clear that there was a war in Cameroon during which colonial authorities and the French army employed various forms of repressive violence in certain regions. This conflict persisted even after 1960, when France supported actions by Cameroon’s independent authorities,” the letter states.

“Today, I must acknowledge France’s role and responsibility in these events,” Macron added.

The president’s letter follows a report published in January, which concluded that France had engaged in mass forced displacements, sent hundreds of thousands of Cameroonians to internment camps, and supported violent militia groups to suppress the Central African nation’s push for sovereignty.

Cameroon was formerly a German colony until it was split between Britain and France following World War I. Under United Nations supervision, the French-administered portion gained independence in 1960, while the southern British-administered area joined French Cameroon in a federation in 1961.

By Tamilla Hasanova