France’s president says that making Haiti pay for its independence was unjust
By TOM NOUVIAN and SYLVIE CORBET PARIS AP French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that historic injustice was imposed on Haiti when it was forced to pay a colossal indemnity to France in exchange for its independence years ago Related Articles Ukraine s future is at the center of talks in Paris with Rubio Witkoff and top European personnel Russia strikes Dnipro as Ukrainian representatives seek safeguard pledges in Paris A recovering Pope Francis visits Rome prison to keep annual Holy Week appointment UN nuclear watchdog says US-Iran talks at a very crucial stage In the present day in History April the Bay of Pigs Invasion Macron also publicized the creation of a joint French-Haitian historical commission to examine our shared past and assess relations but did not directly address longstanding Haitian demands for reparations France subjected the people of Haiti to a heavy financial indemnity This decision placed a price on the freedom of a young nation which was thus confronted with the unjust force of history from its very inception Macron mentioned in a comment It comes on the th anniversary of the April document issued by King Charles X of France which recognized Haiti s independence after a slave revolt but also imposed a million gold francs debt as compensation for the loss of France s colony and enslaved labor force Although the indemnity was later reduced to million gold francs the debt crippled the Caribbean nation which continued to pay it off through French and American banks until Economists estimate it s the equivalent of billions of dollars this day Experts have reported Haiti s current situation can be traced back to its past Gangs have flourished in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with a growing number of children becoming members as families struggle to find food Violence has surged since last year with gangs that control of the capital Port-au-Prince attacking new communities daily in a bid to control even more territory More than people were disclosed killed last year with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless in contemporary years Acknowledging the truth of history means refusing to forget or erase it Macron reported The new commission will be made up of historians from both countries and will aim to propose recommendations to both governments so that they can learn from them and build a more peaceful future Since taking office in Macron has already addressed France s role in past colonial conflicts including in Algeria Cameroon and Rwanda Over the years French governments have acknowledged the historic wrong of slavery in Haiti and other former colonies but like other former colonial powers have resisted calls for reparations Danica Coto in San Juan contributed to this statement
