AA/Tunis
Five days before the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre, in Senegal, five French deputies requested this Tuesday, November 26, the establishment of a commission of inquiry to shed light on this bloody episode of colonial history, French media reported.
Some representatives of the presidential camp are among the signatories. But the text is mainly defended by the various left-wing groups, specifies RFI adding that the text must now receive the green light from the competent commission.
If this is the case, the work would begin by March 2025 and the 30 deputies of the commission could then summon and hear under oath whoever they want: in this case historians, descendants of victims of the Thiaroye massacre, but also and above all members of the French Defense historical service, indicates the same media.
As the Second World War drew to a close, hundreds of demobilized riflemen returned to Africa and took up their positions in the military camp at Thiaroye, in Senegal. On December 1, 1944, while they were demanding payment of their bonuses in this transit camp in the suburbs of Dakar, some of them were shot dead on the orders of French officers, recalls the same source.
“Massacre”, “mutiny”, “shooting”, “repression”: historians’ versions are opposed to those of the colonial military authority of the time, underlines RFI adding that many questions remain unanswered, particularly those relating to to the number of deaths, to the reasons why they were killed…
If the work is enlightening, the resulting report could then encourage the State to officially recognize the Thiaroye massacre, notes RFI.
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