PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that historic injustice was imposed on Haiti when it was forced to pay a colossal indemnity to France in exchange for its independence 200 years ago.
Macron also announced 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.
The move came on the 200th anniversary of the document issued by King Charles X of France, which recognized Haiti’s independence after a slave revolt — but also imposed a 150 million gold francs debt as compensation for the loss of France’s colony and enslaved labor force.
associated press