A long-awaited report commissioned by Senegal into the 1944 killing of dozens of African soldiers by French forces was to be handed to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Thursday. Officials hope it will clarify the disputed death toll from the Thiaroye massacre.
The shootings took place at the Thiaroye military camp just outside Dakar after African troops who had fought for France in World War II protested against delays in pay.
Many details remain unclear, including the number of soldiers killed, their identities and the burial sites of the victims. Those killed were not only Senegalese but also men from other West African countries.
In April 2024 Senegalese authorities established a committee of researchers to create the report to submit to the government.
A press release from the Senegalese Government Information Office on Wednesday said the white paper was “a product of rigorous research, documentation and focus” and aimed to “shed light on the circumstances surrounding the massacre, honour the memory of the victims, and promote shared historical recognition among the nations concerned”.
Bullets unearthed in Senegal cemetery could shed light on Thiaroye massacre
Soldiers return to Dakar
Around 1,600 soldiers from West Africa who had been captured by Germany while fighting for France were sent back to Dakar in November 1944.
After arriving at the Thiaroye military camp, discontent mounted over unpaid wages and demands to be treated on a par with white soldiers. Some protesters refused to return to their home countries without their due.
French forces opened fire on 1 December, killing at least 35 people, French authorities said at the time. Historians say the real death toll could be as high as 400.
The Senegalese government accuses France of withholding archival documents that would shed light on the death toll.
Visual retelling of Thiaroye massacre sheds new light on French colonial atrocity
Earlier this year, Biram Senghor, the only known descendant of a Senegalese rifleman killed in Thiaroye, filed a legal complaint against the French state, accusing it of concealing mass graves and blocking justice.
In July 2024, six soldiers killed at Thiaroye – including Biram's father M’Bap Senghor – were officially recognised as having "died for France", a symbolic gesture that Senegalese advocates say falls short of justice.
France maintains that relevant archives have been opened, citing a 2014 pledge by former president François Hollande. But critics say access remains complicated.
Last November, France acknowledged the massacre the day before commemoration of its 80th anniversary, which Senegal marked on an unprecedented scale.
(with AFP)
