The ghosts of France’s colonial empire continue to haunt it, with the nation now officially grappling with its violent legacy in Cameroon. President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged French responsibility for a brutal war that aimed to crush the country’s independence movement.
This grappling with the past follows the work of a joint historical commission, which produced a detailed report on the repression that took place between 1945 and 1971. The report confirmed the deaths of tens of thousands and the assassination of nationalist leaders, a history that France had long preferred to forget.
Macron’s acknowledgment is a sign that the pressure from historians, activists, and a changing Africa is having an effect. France can no longer maintain the “polished fiction” of a benign colonial mission. This move is part of a necessary, if painful, process of national self-examination.
However, the process is far from complete. By not apologizing or offering reparations, France shows it is still struggling with how to fully confront its imperial ghosts. The acknowledgment is a step out of the shadows, but the path to full historical honesty and restorative justice remains long.