Senegal will on Monday commemorate the 1944 massacre of African soldiers by French colonial forces, marking 81 years since one of the most consequential and long-suppressed atrocities of the colonial era.
The ceremony, held in Dakar under the patronage of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, seeks to shed renewed light on the killing of between 1,200 and 1,800 demobilised riflemen who had returned from fighting for France in the Second World War.
The soldiers, drawn from 17 African territories, were executed on 1 December 1944 at the Thiaroye military camp on the outskirts of Dakar after demanding payment of wages and allowances owed for their wartime service.
Historians say the incident exposed the deep injustices and racial hierarchies that shaped colonial military systems, prompting decades of calls for truth, recognition and reparations.
Senegalese authorities say this year’s commemoration forms part of broader efforts to “restore historical truth” surrounding the Thiaroye killings, which remained marginalised for years despite their impact on debates about colonial violence and the treatment of African veterans.
Monday’s ceremony is expected to bring together government officials, historians, veterans’ associations and representatives from across the region to honour the victims and reaffirm calls for full acknowledgement of the massacre within the wider context of France’s wartime legacy in Africa.
