Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed, on Tuesday, December 31, one of his ministers who had recently described him as “traitors” the Senegalese riflemen, infantry troops who participated in the colonial campaigns led by France. Comments which caused an outcry in the former French colony.
Minister in charge of administration and equipment at the Presidency of the Republic, Cheikh Oumar Diagne affirmed, in an interview with local television, Fafa Tv, broadcast on December 21, that “those who celebrate the riflemen do not know what they are” in reality these colonial soldiers. “The skirmishers are traitors. They fought against their brothers” during revolts or anti-colonial wars in Africa, he estimated.
Mr. Diagne was “dismissed by a decree issued today”Tuesday, by President Faye, a source at the Presidency of the Republic told Agence France-Presse. Mr. Diagne was replaced by Papa Thione Dieng, according to the decree published in the press. The reasons for the dismissal were not specified.
“Insulting and shameful comments”
The government spokesperson, Moustapha Njekk Sarré, criticized Mr. Diagne’s comments on December 26. “This exit is very unfortunate. I am completely out of step with what Mr. Diagne said. I consider that these riflemen are heroes of the nation”had criticized Mr. Sarré, on the private radio RFM.
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A spokesperson for a collective bringing together sons and descendants of Senegalese riflemen, former minister Lamine Ba, denounced “insulting and shameful remarks” by Mr. Diagne. On the internet and in the media, they had also been criticized, with some calling for his resignation.
Senegal commemorated this year, on an unprecedented scale, the events of 1is December 1944 at the Thiaroye military camp, near Dakar. French colonial forces had fired on riflemen repatriated from fighting in Europe, not only Senegalese but also from other African countries, who were demanding payment of arrears of pay.
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Many gray areas remain regarding the circumstances of this massacre, the number of riflemen killed, their identity, and the place of their burial. French authorities at the time admitted the deaths of 35 people. Several historians put forward a much higher number of victims, up to 400.
Controversial statements about religious leaders
Cheikh Oumar Diagne, leader of a movement supporting the presidential movement, imprisoned several times under President Macky Sall, was appointed to this post after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye came to power at the end of March.
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In recent months, he has regularly made controversial statements about religious leaders and Muslim brotherhoods, who are very influential in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country. Many religious leaders, believers and opponents have since called for his departure from his post within the presidency.
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