Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has described, on December 1st, the fight for justice over the 1944 Thiaroye Massacre, as a battle for the very “soul of Senegal and Africa,” as the country marked the atrocity’s 81st anniversary on Monday.
Speaking at a solemn ceremony in Thiaroye, where French colonial forces killed West African soldiers who had fought for France during the Second World War, Faye said the tragedy must never fade from collective memory.
He emphasised that no people should again be denied their history or dignity, noting that archaeological excavations have been commissioned at the site, with France offering technical support. The president also pledged to strengthen the teaching of Thiaroye’s history in school curricula to ensure future generations understand the events and their significance.
The commemoration, attended by families of the victims, diplomats and foreign guests, also heard from Mamadou Diouf, chair of the Thiaroye massacre committee, who stressed the need for deeper historical inquiry into the colonial era’s unresolved injustices.
He called for African countries to intensify research and documentation efforts, insisting that truth must guide all remembrance.
The Thiaroye Massacre remains one of the most painful symbols of colonial violence: while French archives suggest between 30 and 70 soldiers were killed after demanding unpaid bonuses, historians such as Armelle Mabon estimate the death toll at around 400, many buried in mass graves now marked only by a symbolic cemetery.