France has officially acknowledged it waged a war against independence movements in Cameroon, a significant admission based on the findings of a joint Franco-Cameroonian historical commission. President Emmanuel Macron conveyed this to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, accepting France’s “role and responsibility” in the violent conflict.
The commission, formed in 2022, produced a 1,035-page report detailing a brutal period from 1945 to 1971. Its historians confirmed that French colonial forces committed widespread violent repression. This support for state violence continued even after Cameroon gained independence in 1960, with Paris backing the repressive government of Ahmadou Ahidjo, which targeted remaining nationalist groups.
This admission is a major departure from France’s long-standing reluctance to address the darker chapters of its colonial history. The human cost of the conflict in Cameroon was immense, with an estimated tens of thousands killed, including the revered nationalist leader Ruben Um Nyobè, who was assassinated.
Despite the historic nature of the acknowledgment, Macron’s letter stopped short of a formal apology or any discussion of financial reparations. This has led activists and observers to call the gesture an important but incomplete first step. The focus now shifts to demands for national mourning in Cameroon and the integration of this history into French education.