French President Emmanuel Macron has, for the first time, formally acknowledged that France waged a war in Cameroon during the country’s struggle for independence.
In a letter dated July 30 and addressed to Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, Macron took responsibility for what he described as acts of “repressive violence” carried out by French forces against insurgent movements before and after Cameroon’s independence in 1960.
The admission follows the conclusions of a joint historical report presented to both governments in January, which found that French troops “probably killed tens of thousands of Cameroonians” between 1945 and 1971.
Macron specifically recognised France’s role in the killing of independence leaders from the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, including Ruben Um Nyobè in 1958, as well as the Ekité massacre of 31 December 1956, in which colonial forces killed at least dozens of civilians.
This marks the first time France has officially used the term “war” to describe its actions in Cameroon during that period.
The French president’s acknowledgement is part of a broader effort during his tenure to confront France’s colonial past, which has included recognising its role in the 1944 Thiaroye massacre, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the Algerian war of independence.
