Senegal on Sunday commemorated the 80th anniversary of a massacre of African soldiers who fought for France during World War II, and were gunned down by French troops in 1944 for demanding fair treatment and payment on their return.
The West African nation has long demanded its former colonizer take responsibility, officially apologize and properly investigate the massacre that took place in Thiaroye, a fishing village on the outskirts of Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
The event, which renewed those demands, came as France is losing influence over its former African colonies, many of which have turned to Russia for security instead.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“The riflemen sacrificed everything. They gave of their youth, they gave of their blood, they gave of their flesh for freedom and world peace,” Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told guests and reporters.
Accounts of the massacre vary, as does the death toll, which former French president Francois Hollande raised to at least 70 from 35 during a visit to Thiaroye in 2014. Historians say hundreds might have died in the confrontation with colonial authorities.
The ceremony, which French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot attended alongside other African heads of state, started with a visit to the Thiaroye military cemetery to lay flowers.
A printed guide to the ceremony described the “horrific repression” of members of the Senegalese infantry unit, who were surrounded and gunned down for requesting due compensation.
A few days before the commemoration, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote a public letter to his Senegalese counterpart in which he referred to the killings as a “massacre.”
Faye said Macron’s acknowledgement was a significant step in the process of rehabilitating the honor and dignity of the victims.
Barrot said in a speech that his nation had recognized that on that day, “a chain of events was set in motion that led to a massacre.”
Gaspard Mbaye, head of an association dedicated to the soldiers’ memory, said that he was disappointed because he expected more from the French government.
“They continue to conceal the truth and try to divert attention,” Mbaye said.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
RSS