THIAROYE-SUR-MER, Senegal — Each time 86-year-old Biram Senghor visits the military cemetery in Thiaroye, situated near Dakar, he bows before a different grave, offering his respects. The bittersweet ritual reflects his deep yearning to find the resting place of his father, M’Bap Senghor, who was one of many West African soldiers that fought valiantly for France during World War II. Tragically, on December 1, 1944, he, along with his comrades, lost their lives due to the French army’s violent response after they protested for unpaid wages.
Within this cemetery, the identities of the fallen remain shrouded in anonymity; the precise locations of their remains are uncertain, and the scale of the massacre casts a dark shadow over Senegal—especially as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of the tragic event. Efforts to uncover the truth have been stymied by a lack of clarity regarding the circumstances and the exact number of those who perished, a situation that threatens to reignite the delicate relationship between Senegal and France.
“I have been seeking answers for more than 80 years,” Biram Senghor lamented, stating that French President Emmanuel Macron must take a different approach than his predecessors. “France needs to show remorse for what happened.”
The soldiers involved were part of a group known as the “Tirailleurs Sénégalais,” colonial infantrymen who served France in both World Wars. Historians highlight that tension had escalated over the issue of owed wages preceding the day of the massacre, when French troops turned their weapons on unarmed West African soldiers and opened fire.
For many years, French officials downplayed the events in Thiaroye. Initially, military reports described the incident as a result of a “mutiny,” estimating that only 35 West Africans were killed, with other figures citing around 70 fatalities. However, many contemporary historians, both in France and Senegal, suggest that the real death toll could be much higher, with some estimates suggesting that nearly 400 soldiers may have lost their lives on that fateful day.
In a recent gesture, Macron acknowledged the Thiaroye events as a massacre in a letter addressed to Senegal’s President Diomaye Faye—marking a significant shift in France’s narrative about the incident. The letter noted, “France must accept that the clash with the soldiers demanding their full legitimate wages led to a sequence of events culminating in a massacre.”
Despite this acknowledgment, some historians dispute claims of a confrontation between the French soldiers and the African riflemen. According to Martin Mourre, a French historian specializing in the topic, “What transpired on December 1 was essentially the execution of unarmed soldiers.” He indicates that the absence of any mention of weaponry in judicial proceedings against the accused riflemen and the lack of injuries among French military personnel support the view that there was no genuine confrontation.
In his correspondence to Faye, Macron refrained from specifying the number of soldiers who died during the tragedy. The ambiguity surrounding the incident can partly be attributed to limited transparency from French authorities regarding military documentation and eyewitness accounts. Although former French President Francois Hollande transferred archives related to Thiaroye to former Senegal President Macky Sall in 2014, historians argue that critical documents regarding mass grave locations and the number of soldiers present have yet to surface.
Macron’s office, along with the French foreign ministry, has not provided responses to inquiries about these missing archives. Furthermore, under Sall’s administration, efforts to enable historians to access historical documents were minimal at best. “The archives remained largely unreachable until this year for unclear reasons,” Mourre states.
Mamadou Diouf, a Senegalese historian overseeing this year’s Thiaroye massacre commemorations, pointed out that Sall opted not to prioritize the issue, likely to navigate diplomatic sensitivities with France. In contrast, Senegal’s new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who took office in March with promises to overhaul the nation’s relationship with its former colonizer, seeks to reclaim the narrative surrounding the Thiaroye incident. His administration has begun to set up expansive commemorations that will last from December 1 until April 2025 throughout the nation.
“The intention behind such major commemorations is to integrate Thiaroye into the broader narrative of Senegal’s history,” asserts Babacar Ndiaye, a political analyst with the Wathi think tank, which focuses on political and socioeconomic topics in West Africa. Ndiaye emphasizes that these events will gain traction through television, press coverage, and especially social media, drawing attention from a younger demographic that may be unfamiliar with the Thiaroye events.
As this significant anniversary unfolds, it coincides with a noticeable decline in French influence throughout the region. In recent years, French military presence in nations like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso has been weakened amid growing anti-colonial sentiments and movements. Just days ago, Chad, one of the last strongholds for French military collaboration in the area, terminated its military cooperation agreement with France.
Currently, France maintains about 350 troops in Senegal, primarily in a supportive capacity. Addressing the continued presence of French troops in the country, Faye hinted that it might not align with the aspirations of the Senegalese people. He remarked, “Historically, France has enslaved, colonized, and remained here. It raises the question of whether any nation could accept a foreign military base within its own borders.”
