Camer360

French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly stated that France does not interfere in elections in its former colonies. Yet, as Cameroon approaches a pivotal presidential vote on October 12, 2025, questions over France’s influence are resurfacing, with critics accusing Paris of clinging to neocolonial practices to protect its interests.

France’s role in Cameroon came under scrutiny following the 2022 appointment of retired Army General Thierry Marchand as ambassador to Yaoundé. Analysts said the move was designed to prevent Cameroon from drifting into the orbit of recent military-led transitions in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Gabon—countries where French interference has been hotly contested.

In May 2025, Marchand met with Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, whose office oversees Elections Cameroon (ELECAM). Official statements confirmed that the talks centered on preparations for the upcoming election. Marchand described the meeting as “timely and essential,” noting France’s interest in understanding the organization and timeline of the electoral process. He also encouraged broader voter registration at home and among the diaspora, particularly in France.

Speculation quickly grew that France was opposed to the candidacy of opposition figure Maurice Kamto, who had been excluded from the race by Cameroon’s Constitutional Council. Critics argue that such diplomatic overtures amount to subtle but deliberate interference aimed at safeguarding French interests.

In August 2025, France replaced Marchand with career diplomat Sylvain Riquier. The timing coincided with the leak of a letter from Macron to President Paul Biya, in which the French leader formally acknowledged for the first time France’s role in a “war” against Cameroonian independence fighters before and after 1960. Macron admitted that colonial and French military authorities carried out “repressive violence of multiple natures” and wrote: “It comes to me today to assume France’s role and responsibility in these events.”

While the admission was historic, its timing—just weeks before Cameroon’s election—was met with skepticism. The MANIDEM party, which had supported Kamto’s candidacy, described Macron’s acknowledgment as “an attempt to continue neocolonialism” while sidestepping present-day governance failures.

Observers say France’s involvement reflects the deep economic and geopolitical stakes at play. In 2024, France was Cameroon’s third-largest export destination within the European Union, accounting for 13.9 percent of exports—over CFA 1,340 billion. Yet critics argue the relationship perpetuates economic dependency, leaving Cameroon with a structural trade deficit.

Cameroon is often described as one of the last strongholds of French influence in Francophone Africa. As the regional heavyweight in the CEMAC zone, Cameroon provides Paris with a vital foothold to project power across Central Africa. Analysts believe France will resist relinquishing this position, particularly as anti-French sentiment grows elsewhere on the continent.

For Cameroonians, the lingering question is not whether France is involved, but to what degree. The intensity of French diplomatic activity in recent months—ambassadorial reshuffles, symbolic admissions of past wrongs, and overtures to electoral authorities—suggests Paris intends to remain deeply engaged in shaping the outcome of Cameroon’s 2025 vote. As one maxim goes, France may prefer “the devil it knows to an unknown angel.”