French forces’ 1944 massacre of African World War II troops demanding pay in Senegal was “premeditated” and covered up, with previous death tolls vastly underestimated. According to French colonial authorities at the time, at least 35 infantrymen were killed during the massacre at the Thiaroye camp, near Dakar. This toll is likely significantly low, according to the committee of researchers who authored the report, who said the “most credible estimates put the figure at 300 to 400” deaths. Historically, around 1,300 soldiers from several countries in west Africa were sent to the Thiaroye camp in November 1944, after being captured by Germany while fighting for France. Discontent soon mounted over unpaid backpay and unmet demands that they be treated on a par with white soldiers. Should the colonial masters be forced to pay for all its atrocities in Africa ?
