France has, for the first time, admitted that its soldiers were responsible for a “massacre” in Senegal in 1944, in which dozens—possibly hundreds—of West African soldiers were killed.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced the acknowledgment as part of broader discussions about re-evaluating relations between the two nations.
The victims were part of the Tirailleurs Sénégalais, a unit of African soldiers recruited during World War II to defend France, the colonial power. These soldiers hailed not only from Senegal but also from other parts of France’s African empire, including present-day Mali, Guinea, Niger, Benin, and Chad.
After being captured by German forces during France’s invasion and later liberated in 1944, the tirailleurs were repatriated and housed at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar. However, tensions escalated when the soldiers protested their unequal pay compared to other French troops. Historians, including Armelle Mabon, note that the colonial authorities viewed their demands as a mutiny.
On December 1, 1944, the French military violently suppressed the protests at Thiaroye. Official reports initially stated that 35 soldiers were killed, but some accounts suggest the death toll could be as high as 400. The massacre has long been a source of tension between Senegal and France.
This recent acknowledgment by Paris marks a pivotal moment in addressing historical grievances, as both nations navigate a reassessment of their shared history and future relationship.
