France has taken a significant step to remember the African soldiers killed on French army orders in Senegal during World War II, in an effort to ease historical tensions with former colonies, the government announced on Sunday.
Six African soldiers — four from Senegal, one from Ivory Coast, and one from present-day Burkina Faso — have been posthumously recognized for “dying for France.”
An official from France’s veterans and remembrance ministry informed AFP that this decision was made in advance of the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye events in Senegal in 1944.
The official added that this action aligns with President Emmanuel Macron’s intent to confront history directly, stating, “It is now time to look at this history, our history, as it was.”
The decision was made on June 18, just days before Macron’s first meeting in Paris with the new Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
During his seven years in office, Macron has aimed to address some of the most painful historical issues in France’s relationship with Africa, particularly regarding the 1954-1962 Algerian War of Independence and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.
However, critics argue that while these gestures are appreciated, they often fall short of a full apology and do not go far enough.
The official described the recognition of the six soldiers as an initial step, with further actions to follow once the exact identities of the other victims are determined.
Significant move
On the morning of December 1, 1944, French army officers ordered colonial troops and French gendarmes to open fire on African soldiers at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar, Senegal. These soldiers, who had been repatriated after being held as POWs in Germany, were protesting for their overdue pay.
According to the French authorities’ report from that time, at least 35 soldiers were killed immediately or succumbed to their injuries. This figure is contested, with some historians suggesting the actual number was much higher. The location where the soldiers were buried is also a subject of ongoing debate.
Breaking years of denial, former President François Hollande was the first French leader to honor the slain soldiers a decade ago.
African troops from former French colonies were pivotal in modern conflicts, including World War I, World War II, and the wars of independence in French colonies.
Aissata Seck, head of an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the African “tirailleurs” who fought for France, welcomed the gesture as a “significant step.”
She emphasized the importance of excavating the burial sites to determine the true number of victims.