FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has publicly apologised for the abuses committed by France during its colonial rule in Madagascar, pledging to return looted cultural artefacts and human remains in a symbolic move towards reconciliation.
‘Our presence here is not innocent, and our history has been written… with deeply painful pages,’ Macron said during a remembrance ceremony at Madagascar’s former royal palace in Antananarivo, according to reporting by RFI.
Madagascar was under French colonial rule from 1896 to 1960. Macron said only the Malagasy people can complete the journey of forgiveness, but France would help create the conditions by acknowledging past wrongs and restoring historical justice.
France to return looted remains
Macron confirmed that France would return the skull of King Toera, who was decapitated by French troops in 1897, and whose remains were taken to France as a war trophy. ‘These human remains belong here and nowhere else,’ he said.
The move follows a previous agreement reached on 2 April to return the skulls of three other Malagasy warriors, currently held at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. Their return is scheduled for August.
Macron proposed a joint historical commission between France and Madagascar to foster ‘truth, memory, history and reconciliation’ — echoing similar efforts underway in Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Haiti.
Accompanied by Princess Fenosoa Ralandison Ratsimamanga, Macron toured the royal palace in a gesture underscoring the importance of symbolic acts in Franco-Malagasy relations.
Economic partnerships reinforced
Beyond symbolic reconciliation, Macron’s visit also focused on economic ties. During meetings with President Andry Rajoelina, the two sides signed several bilateral agreements in energy, infrastructure, digital technology and tourism.
The most significant deal involves French utility EDF partnering with Madagascar’s CGHV on the Volobe hydroelectric dam, a $600–800 million project expected to generate over 120 megawatts of electricity.
According to the French presidency, the project will provide power to nearly 2 million people — a significant development in a country where less than 40 percent of the population currently has access to electricity.
Strategic stakes in minerals and territory
Macron also called for a strategic partnership on rare earth minerals, which are key to global green energy transitions and are found in abundance in Madagascar.
His visit also comes amid renewed tensions over France’s claim to the Scattered Islands, a group of small islets off Madagascar’s coast that remained under French control after decolonisation. Rajoelina confirmed new talks on the islands will take place on 30 June.
Macron’s trip is part of a broader effort to reshape France’s relationship with its former colonies, combining historical accountability with new strategic and economic engagements in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
