Thiaroye massacre: Senegal poised to uncover France’s darkest colonial chapter

Senegal is set to receive a long-awaited report on the 1944 Thiaroye massacre, a colonial-era atrocity in which French forces killed dozens of African soldiers who had fought for France during World War II.

The findings will be handed to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on October 16, as part of efforts to clarify one of the most painful chapters in Franco-African history, Caliber.Az reports, citing French media.

French officials at the time claimed that 35 men were killed in the violence at the Thiaroye military camp, just outside Dakar. However, historians have long disputed that figure, estimating that as many as 400 West African soldiers could have died.

The incident occurred after the return of around 1,600 African troops who had been captured by Germany while fighting for France. When they arrived in Dakar in November 1944, many grew frustrated over unpaid wages and unequal treatment compared to their white counterparts. Some refused to go home until they received what they were owed.

French troops opened fire on December 1, 1944, killing at least 35 men according to official records. But the true scale of the massacre – including the identities and burial sites of the victims, who were not only Senegalese but also from other West African nations – remains unclear.

The Senegalese government established a research committee in April 2024 to prepare the report, which had originally been due earlier this year. In a statement on Wednesday, the Senegalese Government Information Office said the white paper was “a product of rigorous research, documentation and focus,” aimed at “shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the massacre, honouring the memory of the victims, and promoting shared historical recognition among the nations concerned.”

Senegalese authorities have accused France of withholding key archival material that could help determine the real death toll. During a visit to Dakar in late 2014, former French president François Hollande said he had “handed over a copy of the entire archives” relating to the incident.

France officially acknowledged the massacre in November 2024, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the killings – a commemoration marked in Senegal on an unprecedented scale.

By Aghakazim Guliyev