Macron admits the French repression in the Cameroon independence struggle

Follow the investigation of the atrocities committed by France in Cameroon, pressures from within the Central African country [Universal Images Group via Getty Images]

French President Emmanuel Macron admitted the violence committed by his country’s forces in Cameroon during and after the struggle of the state in central Africa for independence.

A joint report was followed by Cameroon and French historians examining France’s repression of independence movements from 1945 to 1971.

In a letter to Cameroon President Paul Bia published publicly on Tuesday, Macron said that the report explained, “A war occurred in Cameroon, where the colonial authorities and the French army practiced repressive violence of several types in certain areas of the country.”

“It is up to me today to take over the role and responsibility of France in these events,” he said.

However, Macron did not make a clear apology for the atrocities committed by the French forces in their former colony, which gained independence in 1960.

The French leader was martyred with four independence icons that were killed during the military operations led by the French forces, including Robin Umm Nubaoub, the heat leader of the UPC anti -colonial party.

France pushed hundreds of thousands of Cameroon to the detention camps and supported the brutal militias to cancel the independence conflict, and the Agence France -Presse news agency quoted the report as saying.

The historian report said that tens of thousands of people were killed between 1956 and 1961.

The investigation decision was taken and the results related to the role of France in the independence struggle in Cameroon in 2022, during Macron’s visit to UNIDE.

She followed pressure from inside the country to France to recognize its atrocities in its previous colony and pay compensation.

Commenting on Macron’s lack of apology, one of the historians who contributed to the report said that it was from their job, “creating facts and numbers after passing the archive documents” and not “to apologize.”

Professor Willibroad Dze-NGWA BBC told the jurisdiction of historians to recommend compensation.

“Compensation does not come until after the ruling was issued, and we did not go to the field as a legal court to issue the ruling and condemnation [or] Recommendation of assembly.

Macron also expressed his willingness to work with Cameroon to enhance more research on the historical colonial role of France, while highlighting the need for both countries to provide results for universities and scientific bodies.

BBC has reached the Cameroon government to comment on the acceptance of the French President.

Although Macron did not address calls for compensation, it is likely to be a major modern point in Cameroon to move forward.

His comments were a mixed reception between Cameroon.

“I realize that France made mistakes against Cameroon, it is not enough,” the 25 -year -old student Charles and Amalo told the BBC.

He added that France has caused “a lot of harm to Cameroon.”

While telling the 54 -year -old teacher Tsoye Bruno BBC, it was “a good thing” that Macron confessed to the violence of the colonial France, but added that his lack of apology was “a very bad thing.”

Under Macron, France tried to face its brutal colonial past.

Last year, it admitted for the first time that its soldiers had carried out a “massacre” in Senegal in which West African forces were killed in 1944.

Macron previously recognized the role of France in the Rwandan genocide, as about 800,000 of the moderate ethnic tuts and hotos died, and they sought forgiveness.

In 2021, he said that France did not respond warnings of the imminent massacre and had “a very long value to examine the truth.”

France has also made several attempts over the years to reconcile with the former colonial Algeria, but has stopped issuing an official apology.

In 2017, Macron, a presidential candidate, described Algeria’s colonialism as a “crime against humanity”, but after two years, he said that there would be no “repentance or apologies.”

Instead, he said that France will participate in “symbolic actions” aimed at enhancing reconciliation and celebrating the history of its violent occupation of the country of North Africa.

Recently, many West African countries under military rule, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, cut their relations with France, accusing them of new colonial control.