Descendant of Senegalese WWII victims calls for France to apologise for 1944 massacre: Video
As Senegal prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre on December 1st, Biram Senghor, the son of one of the victims, is renewing his calls for France to apologise and provide reparations for the deaths of Senegalese soldiers killed by French colonial troops in 1944.
Biram Senghor, who has spent 50 years fighting for justice for his father and other African soldiers, insists that France must "repent" and "apologise to the rightful heirs" of the victims. "Then, France must pay the damages and interest to those they massacred," he asserts, referring to the brutal killings that took place at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar.
The massacre occurred after around 1,600 African soldiers, who had been captured by Germany during World War II and later fought for France, were sent back to Senegal in November 1944. When they arrived, discontent over unpaid wages and poor treatment led to protests.
French forces responded by opening fire, killing at least 35 soldiers, though historians believe the true death toll was much higher. Among the victims was M'Bap Senghor, Biram's father. The location of their graves remains undisclosed.
Biram Senghor, now 86, is the only known living descendant of the Thiaroye victims, according to French historian Armelle Mabon. In 2014, former French President François Hollande acknowledged the massacre, ending years of denial, and promised to return documents related to the event to Senegal.
Biram Senghor criticises France for downplaying the scale of the massacre, noting that only a small number of claims for reparations have been recognized. "They buried them in a mass grave," he says. "I’m disgusted when I hear France only acknowledges six deaths—it’s not true."
