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French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, dated July 30, but released on Tuesday, where he officially acknowledged France’s use of repressive violence before, during, and after Cameroon’s struggle for independence.
Speaking about the report, Macron stated that the historians of the Franco-Cameroonian Commission highlighted the war that had taken place in Cameroon, where colonial authorities and the French army deliberately used repressive violence against the Cameroonian population. He added that the war continued beyond 1960, with France supporting different actions carried out by independent Cameroonian authorities.
Macron also pledged to open France’s archives and declassify documents pertaining to France’s actions in Cameroon; however, he did not apologize, nor did he mention any further steps towards reconciliation.
The letter comes after a report published earlier this year by the Franco-Cameroonian Commission, which traced France’s history of violent political repression in Cameroon from 1945 to 1971. The commission was initiated by Macron following a trip to Cameroon in 2022. The report found France responsible for numerous atrocities, including sending hundreds of thousands to internment camps and funding paramilitary death squads. Much of the repression was directed towards the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), a left-wing political party which was the main force among the pro-independence movement. France denounced the UPC as communists and banned the party, which forced the movement underground, thus beginning a protracted guerrilla war which ended with pro-France incumbent Ahmadou Ahidjo as the head of the newly independent state in 1960.
However, French political violence and repression against opposition groups, namely the UPC, continued after independence. The report details France’s assassination of UPC leaders Paul Momo, Isaac Nyobè Pandjock, Jérémie Ndélélé, and Félix Moumié, as well as UPC founder Ruben Um Nyobè. Nyobè preached a doctrine of non-violence, and any mention of him was banned in Cameroon until the 1990s.
Head of the Association of Cameroonian Veterans and former UPC soldier, Mathieu Njassep, says the acknowledgement is a welcome step, but urged France to go further and consider reparations.
This acknowledgment comes in sharp contrast to France’s previous denial of their atrocities during the Cameroon War, despite established historical consensus to the contrary. Macron has also acknowledged France’s responsibility in the Rwandan Genocide, war crimes committed during the Algerian War, and the Thiaroye massacre, making the most recent acknowledgment the latest chapter in Macron’s careful and calculated reconciliation with France’s violent colonial history.
The post France acknowledges use of ‘repressive violence’ in Cameroon appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Speaking about the report, Macron stated that the historians of the Franco-Cameroonian Commission highlighted the war that had taken place in Cameroon, where colonial authorities and the French army deliberately used repressive violence against the Cameroonian population. He added that the war continued beyond 1960, with France supporting different actions carried out by independent Cameroonian authorities.
Macron also pledged to open France’s archives and declassify documents pertaining to France’s actions in Cameroon; however, he did not apologize, nor did he mention any further steps towards reconciliation.
The letter comes after a report published earlier this year by the Franco-Cameroonian Commission, which traced France’s history of violent political repression in Cameroon from 1945 to 1971. The commission was initiated by Macron following a trip to Cameroon in 2022. The report found France responsible for numerous atrocities, including sending hundreds of thousands to internment camps and funding paramilitary death squads. Much of the repression was directed towards the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), a left-wing political party which was the main force among the pro-independence movement. France denounced the UPC as communists and banned the party, which forced the movement underground, thus beginning a protracted guerrilla war which ended with pro-France incumbent Ahmadou Ahidjo as the head of the newly independent state in 1960.
However, French political violence and repression against opposition groups, namely the UPC, continued after independence. The report details France’s assassination of UPC leaders Paul Momo, Isaac Nyobè Pandjock, Jérémie Ndélélé, and Félix Moumié, as well as UPC founder Ruben Um Nyobè. Nyobè preached a doctrine of non-violence, and any mention of him was banned in Cameroon until the 1990s.
Head of the Association of Cameroonian Veterans and former UPC soldier, Mathieu Njassep, says the acknowledgement is a welcome step, but urged France to go further and consider reparations.
This acknowledgment comes in sharp contrast to France’s previous denial of their atrocities during the Cameroon War, despite established historical consensus to the contrary. Macron has also acknowledged France’s responsibility in the Rwandan Genocide, war crimes committed during the Algerian War, and the Thiaroye massacre, making the most recent acknowledgment the latest chapter in Macron’s careful and calculated reconciliation with France’s violent colonial history.
The post France acknowledges use of ‘repressive violence’ in Cameroon appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.