France takes responsibility for “repressive violence” of Cameroon’s independence struggle

(MENAFN) President Emmanuel Macron has formally recognized France’s involvement in “repressive violence” that occurred during and after Cameroon’s fight for independence, addressing his remarks in an official letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya. While the statement acknowledged France’s role, it did not include an official apology for the actions of French forces in the Central African nation.

According to reports, Macron’s admission followed findings from a joint panel of historians from both France and Cameroon, which investigated France’s suppression of anti-colonial movements between 1945 and 1971.

In the letter, dated July 30 and made public on Tuesday, Macron stated that the commission’s research “clearly highlighted that a war had taken place in Cameroon, during which the colonial authorities and the French army carried out multiple forms of repressive violence.”

“[The] war…continued beyond 1960 with France’s support for actions carried out by the independent Cameroonian authorities,” he added.

Macron also acknowledged France’s responsibility in the deaths of four prominent independence leaders — Isaac Nyobe Pandjock, Ruben Um Nyobe, Paul Momo, and Jeremie Ndelene — who were killed between 1958 and 1960 during military operations under French command.

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

The armed struggle in Cameroon began in the 1950s, led by the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, which aimed to end French rule and merge the region with British-controlled territories. Prior to this, Cameroon had been a German colony until World War I, when it was divided between France and Britain. The French-administered part gained independence in 1960, while the southern British Cameroons joined in 1961.

MENAFN14082025000045017281ID1109927531