Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron officially acknowledged that his country waged a war characterized by "repressive violence" in Cameroon against rebel movements before and after the country's independence in 1960. This came in a letter addressed by the French President to his Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya, published on Tuesday.

According to Qatar News Agency, Macron stated in the letter dated July 30, "it is incumbent on me today to accept France's role and responsibility in these events." He emphasized that the report on Cameroon and the forthcoming research will enable the two countries to continue building their future together and strengthen the close relationship that unites them. Macron further acknowledged that the conflict continued beyond 1960 with France's support for actions by the independent Cameroonian authorities.

This letter signifies Macron's endorsement of the findings from a report prepared by historians, which was presented to him last January. The historians' report clearly highlighted that a war occurred in Cameroon, during which the colonial authorities and the French army executed multiple forms of repressive violence in certain regions of the country.

In July 2022, the French President announced from Cameroon the initiation of a joint French-Cameroonian commission aimed at shedding light on France's actions against independence and opposition movements in Cameroon between 1945 and 1971. The report of this commission, led by historian Karine Ramondy, is part of Macron's memory policy toward Africa, following similar reports on Rwanda and Algeria, other significant moments in the history of French policy in Africa.