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France and Haiti Establish Historical Commission on Bicentenary of Independence Debt

President Macron acknowledges the injustice of Haiti's 1825 indemnity but stops short of committing to reparations as Haitian groups intensify demands for restitution.

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FILE - Students attend a French writing class at the Wesleyenne Regard Divin co-ed primary and middle school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File
France's President Emmanuel Macron comes down the stairs to welcome US Secretary of State, US Special Envoy and France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on April 17, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
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Overview

  • President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a joint Franco-Haitian commission to examine the 1825 indemnity and its impact on Haiti's development.
  • Haitian campaigners, supported by Caricom, demand reparations from France, estimating the modern equivalent of the 'ransom' debt at $38 billion to $135 billion.
  • Macron described the indemnity as an unjust financial burden imposed on Haiti but did not address calls for monetary restitution.
  • Experts link Haiti's current humanitarian and security crises, including gang violence and economic instability, to the long-term effects of the debt.
  • The commission will propose recommendations to both governments, but no timeline or specific actions have been outlined yet.