France’s official acknowledgment of its colonial war in Cameroon could have a significant ripple effect, potentially inspiring other former colonial powers to confront their own violent pasts. The move puts pressure on countries like the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain to be more transparent about their own imperial histories.
Many nations have historical episodes that mirror the French experience in Cameroon—brutal counter-insurgency campaigns, political assassinations, and support for post-colonial dictators. Examples include Britain’s handling of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya or Belgium’s role in the Congo.
France’s action, however incomplete, sets a new, albeit low, bar for what is expected of a former colonial power. It demonstrates that state-level acknowledgment of historical crimes is politically possible, even for recent and highly sensitive events.
Activists in other post-colonial nations will likely point to the Franco-Cameroonian commission as a model to demand their own processes of truth and reconciliation. While each country’s history is unique, France’s admission may have inadvertently started a new wave of demands for colonial accountability across the globe.