French President Emmanuel Macron has officially recognized the killing of West African soldiers by French troops in 1944 as a massacre. This acknowledgment comes in a letter addressed to the Senegalese authorities, Report informs, citing foreign media sources.
Macron described the incident as a tragedy, emphasizing the importance of establishing the full truth about the events that unfolded amid strained relations between Paris and its former colonies.
The massacre took place on December 1, 1944, when between 35 and 400 West African soldiers, who fought alongside the French army during World War II, were shot dead by French troops.
The conflict was triggered by a mutiny over unpaid wages, with most of the victims being members of the colonial infantry corps known as "Tirailleurs Senegalais."
Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye commented on the letter, stating that this step should "open the door" to fully uncovering the truth about the events in Thiaroye. Macron acknowledged that the confrontation between the soldiers and the tirailleurs, who were demanding their wages, sparked a chain of events that led to the massacre.
The French president also highlighted the importance of the work being done by the Fact-Finding Committee, led by Professor Mamadou Diouf, in studying the causes of the tragedy.
This move by Macron coincides with heightened tensions between France and its former colonies in West Africa.
In Senegal, the recent elections saw the ruling party PASTEF secure an overwhelming majority of votes. The new president, Faye, has set a goal of achieving economic independence from foreign companies, including French ones.
Faye also addressed the issue of French military presence in Senegal, noting that historically, France enslaved and colonized while remaining there. "It is difficult to imagine that the army of another country, such as China or Russia, could have a military base on French territory," he added.