Macron Admits French Role in Cameroon War That Continued Past Independence

President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that France played a central role in a war in Cameroon that bloodily suppressed independence movements and continued even after the country officially gained its freedom in 1960. This admission of prolonged French involvement in the violence marks a significant new step in France’s reckoning with its colonial past.
In a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Macron assumed responsibility for the actions of French colonial forces and for France’s subsequent support of the repressive post-independence government of Ahmadou Ahidjo. This acknowledgment was based on the findings of a joint commission which concluded a war took place from 1945 to 1971, causing tens of thousands of deaths.
The historical context is that Cameroon, a former German colony, was split between Britain and France after WWI. The French-administered part saw a fierce independence struggle led by figures like Ruben Um Nyobè, who was assassinated. France’s support for the Ahidjo regime ensured that anti-colonial resistance was violently crushed for more than a decade after independence.
Despite the gravity of the admission, Macron did not offer a formal apology or reparations. Activists now argue the focus must shift to concrete actions. This includes teaching this history in French schools, as commission co-head Blick Bassy urged, to ensure the French population understands the full scope of their country’s past actions and that they are never repeated.