François Hollande breaks silence on UPC killings

François Hollande broke the silence on the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) killings during a discussion on sensitive topics with Paul Biya.

"I wanted to visit Cameroon. It’s been almost fifteen years that a president of the French republic visited the country in which he was voted as a chairman. I also wanted to come here because there are human ties between our two countries and some of these links extends deep into our history. They can be painful and France still looks lucidly at the past to better prepare for the future and that's what we did. "

At a press conference on Friday, Francois Hollande particularly mentioned the painful memory of Franco-Cameroonian relations. "It is true that there had been tragic circumstances that happened in the past. There was a crackdown in the Sanaga-Maritime in Bamiléké and I want the records to be made public, "he said. This was in reference to the tragic incidents of the 1950s and 1960s. This was when tens of thousands of pro-independence UPC activists were first massacred by the French army, then by the young Cameroonian army supervised by French officers in 1960.

This declaration was the first ever made by a French head of State on the Franco-Cameroonian incident marked in history. Never had a french president decide on this serious injury in the history of the two nations. It is a historic event and a taboo that is broken.

The Lydian Yen Eyoum case

The second delicate issue discussed by the two presidents was the Ms. Lydian Yen Eyoum case. The French of Cameroonian origin was imprisoned in Yaoundé after a 25-year sentence for financial malfeasance. François Hollande said that all records had been put before him and Paul Biya including other similar cases.

The Cameroonian President in turn, said it was a case that required Cameroonian justice and that it was independent. He added that he would see what he could do based on what the Constitution would permit him to do when the opportunity presents itself. He will not turn down their offer to the humanitarian gesture requested by its French counterpart.

It was a sign of hope for liberation assessed, Caroline Wassermann, one of Lydienne Yen Eyoum’s lawyers. "There is a sign of strong hope because one can recognize that an amnesty might be decided soon, she noted. Now we have wait and see what will happen and in what time frame,” Wassermann said.

Ten days ago, the defence lawyer of Cameroonian origin was welcomed at Elysee to bring the French president’s attention to Lydienne Yen Eyoum’s case during his visit to Cameroon.

“Things are moving in the right direction. We remember Michel-Thierry Atangana, who was released after 17 years through such presidential intervention and a decision of the United Nations".