Biram and Mouhamed Senghor are the sons and grandsons of a Senegalese rifleman: M’Bap Senghor. A soldier who left to fight for France in 1940 and was taken prisoner by the Germans. It was nevertheless on Senegalese soil that he breathed his last, shot dead on December 1, 1944 on the orders of French officers in the Thiaroye camp, not far from Dakar.
Returning to Senegal at the end of the war with hundreds of other riflemen, these soldiers demanded payment of their pay. The French army refuses them, it accuses these African soldiers of rebellion and opens fire. Biram Senghor’s father is killed with dozens of others: “They had no consideration for the black man, they preferred to massacre people to establish French authority over African populations”deplores Biram Senghor.
The official French toll shows 35 dead and 35 injured. But over the years, the version of a mutiny supported by the French state has become increasingly contested. A first step was taken by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces four months ago: six riflemen murdered in Thiaroye were recognized “died for France” in letters addressed to their families, which could pave the way for financial compensation.
Watch the full report in the video above.
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