Thiaroye Massacre: Shot Money - Afropolitain Magazine

Robert Brasillach wrote, “history is written by the victor”. It is difficult to disagree with him when you look at the events of the Thiaroye massacre.

History: It’s hard to believed that a small, colorful Senegalese village could be the scene of one of the darkest secrets of French history. As a matter of fact, when World War II came to an end, African troops who survived the Nazi prison camps were gathered in a military camp in Thiaroye. Unfortunately for them, they claim to be paid, which hasn’t been done yet. On December 1st, 1944, instead of negotiating, the military command compels the recalcitrant ones to gather for a basic execution.

Casualties were called rebel agents working for the Nazis that needed to be put down using force. At that time, the reports consolidated this version until relief came from president François Hollande in 2014, when he transmitted classified archives to the Senegalese president. Before him, voices of historians and servicemen called this farce into question. They consider it to be an operation designed to keep the infantrymen’s money. More importantly, similar to the U.S., it is thought to be a means to hinder colonized people who were emancipated in Europe.

Today, despite François Hollande’s gesture, many questions remain unanswered, such as the list of casualties, where the bodies are buried and most of all the status of those infantrymen whose honor was betrayed by the perfidious government.