French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that France’s demand for a massive payment from Haiti in exchange for its independence was a historic injustice. In a statement on
Thursday, Macron said Haiti was subjected to a “heavy financial indemnity” that unfairly burdened the newly independent nation from its very beginning.
“This decision placed a price on the freedom of a young nation,” Macron said. “It confronted Haiti with the unjust force of history.”
His comments mark the 200th anniversary of the April 17, 1825 decree by France’s King Charles X, which formally recognized Haiti’s independence after a successful slave revolt. However, France demanded 150 million gold francs — later reduced to 90 million — as compensation for the loss of its colony and enslaved labor. Haiti continued repaying the debt through French and American banks until 1947. Economists say the sum would be worth billions of dollars today and had a lasting impact on Haiti’s economy.
To further address the historical context, Macron announced the creation of a joint French-Haitian commission of historians to study the countries' shared past and recommend ways to move forward. However, he did not respond to longstanding Haitian calls for financial reparations.
Macron emphasized the importance of historical memory, saying, “Acknowledging the truth of history means refusing to forget or erase it.”
Today, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, grappling with deep-rooted instability. Armed gangs control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and violence has displaced over a million people in recent years.
Since taking office in 2017, Macron has taken steps to confront France’s colonial legacy, including in Algeria, Cameroon, and Rwanda. While France has recognized the injustices of slavery in Haiti and other former colonies, it has, like many former colonial powers, resisted demands for reparations. Photo by Michelle Walz Eriksson, Wikimedia commons.