A report detailing French atrocities in Cameroon between 1945 and 1971 has been submitted to French President Emmanuel Macron. The document highlights, among other things, the brutal repression of Cameroonian resistance during the colonial period and in the years following its transition to autonomy.
During this period, thousands of members of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (Union des populations du Cameroun) party, including its leader, were massacred, first by the French army and subsequently by the regime that was established after independence.
This chapter of history has long been suppressed and largely omitted from public discourse, notably within school curricula, according to African media outlets.
The report, a result of a joint Franco-Cameroonian commission's work, will be presented to the Cameroonian authorities before being released publicly.
The commission was formed during the French president’s visit to Cameroon in July 2022 and began its research in 2023, with access to archives granted by Paris.