The ceremony planned for this Sunday is marked by the official recognition of this tragic episode by France and the participation of several African heads of state and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
This Sunday, December 1, 2024, Senegal will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the massacre of Senegalese riflemen that occurred in Thiaroye on December 1, 1944. This ceremony takes place in a context marked by the official recognition of this tragic episode by the French authorities.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced Thursday that he had received a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron in which the latter recognizes that “ it’s a massacre “. Although this recognition is not yet accompanied by an official apology, it represents a notable step forward in the collaboration between Dakar and Paris to shed light on this event.
African leaders are expected at this event. The head of Chadian diplomacy will represent the President of the Republic of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, during the commemorative ceremony scheduled for Sunday in the Senegalese capital. The Senegalese presidency also indicated that the presidents of the Gambia, Adama Barrow, and of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, arrived in Dakar on Saturday to participate in this event. Upon their arrival at the Léopold Sédar Senghor military airport, they were welcomed by the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
France will be represented by its Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, during this commemoration.
The commemoration program in Thiaroye includes several stages: at the cemetery, a welcome for heads of state and delegations, a laying of wreaths and an exhibition on the feats of arms of the riflemen; at the military camp, speeches, poetic declamations and artistic performances; and finally, at the Grand Théâtre, a stage adaptation of the play African Dawn.
The objective of this event is to revive the memory of the Senegalese riflemen and to inscribe their history in the collective African consciousness, in a spirit of unity and solidarity.
Described as a “mutiny” by official French archives, the Thiaroye massacre was in reality a bloody repression against demobilized African soldiers demanding their rights after the Second World War. According to French historian Armelle Mabon, the official figures deliberately minimize the scale of the tragedy, a strategy aimed at preserving the image of free France.
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