Now that France has made its historic admission of responsibility for a colonial-era war, the critical question for Cameroon is: what happens next? The acknowledgment has opened a Pandora’s box of historical grievances and future possibilities, and the path forward is complex.
The immediate calls from within Cameroon, led by figures like activist Blick Bassy, are for national healing. This includes tangible steps like organizing official mourning for the victims, searching for and identifying bodies in mass graves, and addressing long-standing land disputes that stem from the conflict.
On the diplomatic front, Cameroon must decide how to leverage this admission. Will it formally push France for an apology and reparations? Will it demand the opening of all French archives related to the period to get an even clearer picture of the repression?
Internally, the admission forces a difficult conversation about the country’s own post-colonial history, particularly the legacy of the French-backed Ahidjo regime. For Cameroon, “what happens next” is not just about its relationship with France, but also about a profound and potentially painful process of national self-reflection.