On 1 December 1944, more than 400 ‘tirailleurs’ (Senegalese riflemen) were killed by French colonial troops. Although Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged their deaths as a ‘massacre’, the battle of memory between France and Senegal is far from over.

Senegal marks the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre. On that day in 1944, at least 35 Tirailleurs – members of a colonial infantry unit from Senegal who served in the French

President Barrow, alongside other Heads of State, laid a wreath at Thiaroye cemetery to pay respect to fallen heroes. In his remarks, the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, announced that he had set up an international research committee to establish the facts related to the tragedy.

Senegal marked the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye Massacre, where African soldiers returning from WWII were killed by French troops in 1944. Senegal demands France take responsibility, apologize, and investigate.

African soldiers who fought for France during World War Two were gunned down by French troops for demanding fair treatment and payment on their return.