Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that France waged a “war” in Cameroon, a recognition that marks a turning point in the shared memory between the two countries.

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The French president officially admitted that France conducted “a war” characterized by “repressive violence” in the African nation, targeting rebel movements both before and after independence in 1960, in a letter to his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya, published Tuesday.

This acknowledgment aligns with the findings of a historians’ report submitted to Macron in January, which “clearly showed that a war broke out in Cameroon, during which colonial authorities and the French army carried out multifaceted repressive violence.”

Macron repeatedly used the term “war,” previously absent from the official French discourse on Cameroon, noting that “the war continued after 1960 with France’s support for actions undertaken by the independent Cameroonian authorities.”

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A Memorable Turning Point
In his letter dated July 30 to Paul Biya, Macron stated: “It is my duty today to assume France’s role and responsibility in these events,” marking a pivotal moment in the historical memory shared between the two nations.

In July 2022, the French president had announced in Cameroon the creation of a Franco-Cameroonian commission tasked with highlighting France’s actions against independence and opposition movements in Cameroon between 1945 and 1971.

The report of this commission, chaired by historian Karine Ramondy, is part of Macron’s memory policy toward Africa, following similar reports on Rwanda and Algeria—other dark chapters in France’s historical engagement on the continent.

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Macron emphasized that the report on Cameroon, along with forthcoming research, “will allow us to continue building the future together and to strengthen the close relationship that unites France and Cameroon, including the human connections between our civil societies and our youth.”

Last month, 92-year-old Paul Biya announced his candidacy for an eighth term in the presidential election scheduled for October 12. Last week, the Constitutional Council rejected the candidacy of his main challenger, Maurice Kamto.

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