FRANCE PERPETRATED A MASSACRE OF AFRICAN SOLDIERS

FRANCE PERPETRATED A MASSACRE OF AFRICAN SOLDIERS On December 1, 1944, French colonial troops killed more than 400 Senegalese soldiers who had fought for their colonial power, France, during the Second World War. Why were they killed? They were demanding their back pay. These were men who had fought for France—only to be massacred by the very country they had served. This is a painful chapter in history. It concerns the Thiaroye massacre of December 1, 1944. In November 1944, around 1,300 soldiers of the *Tirailleurs sénégalais* ("Senegalese Tirailleurs") returned to the Thiaroye military camp (near Dakar, the capital of French West Africa). Many of them had previously fought for France in the Second World War, had been held in German captivity, and were now awaiting demobilization and the payments due to them. However, conditions in the camp were poor, and there were difficulties regarding payment: colonial authorities delayed the disbursement of funds, and the soldiers lost a portion of the money when exchanging French francs for the local currency (the precursor to the CFA franc). Resentment grew, and on December 1, the soldiers gathered peacefully to assert their claims. In response, French colonial troops opened fire—including the 1st and 7th Regiments of the Senegalese Tirailleurs, units of the National Gendarmerie, and the 6th Colonial Artillery Regiment; an M3 Stuart light tank was also deployed. Estimates suggest that between 70 and 400 people lost their lives. Most historians today (such as Armelle Mabon) estimate the most likely death toll to be between 300 and 400. However, many researchers and relatives of the victims emphasize that the soldiers were largely unarmed and that the French troops' actions were premeditated—the goal was not merely to suppress the protest but to demonstrate strength so as not to jeopardize the colonial order. The official French account initially spoke only of the "suppression of an armed mutiny," yet declassified military documents support the theory of a deliberate massacre. For a long time, France cited an understated death toll; officially, there was talk of only 35 fatalities. It was not until November 2014 that French President François Hollande acknowledged at a commemoration ceremony that there had been at least 70 victims, describing the events as "simply appalling and intolerable." In 2024, marking the tragedy's 80th anniversary, a commission was established at Senegal's initiative to produce a "White Paper" (a report) on the case. The report concluded that the shootings had been carefully planned and dismissed the official figure of 35 victims as contradictory and demonstrably incorrect. Furthermore, as part of the report's preparation, archaeologists from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar conducted excavations at the burial site and discovered the remains of seven individuals—an important step toward more accurately determining the total number of victims. For decades, the truth was denied and covered up. On November 29, 2024, France officially recognized the killings at Thiaroye as a massacre. They fought for France, but instead of paying them, France repaid them with bullets. In Senegal, August 23rd is observed as a national day of remembrance for the Senegalese Tirailleurs (*Tirailleurs sénégalais*). This event has left a deep mark on Senegal's collective memory and continues to influence relations between the two countries to this day. The current Senegalese president is a French puppet... ...to France and return in disgrace. #AfricaTheFreeland #Thiaroye #Senegal #France #ColonialCrimes