A French administrative court has ruled that the French state was at fault for failing to properly investigate the death of an African rifleman killed in the 1944 Thiaroye massacre in Senegal. The court found that French authorities had provided the soldier's family with false information after his death, and had failed to use all available means to establish the precise circumstances of his death or the location of his burial. The graves of the riflemen are located in the village of Thiaroye in Senegal, where the massacre took place on 1 December 1944. The court acknowledged that it could not rule on the death itself due to the statute of limitations, but held the state liable for its failure to investigate.
The court awarded €10,000 in damages to the soldier's son, who brought the case to court last June, accusing the French state of concealing mass graves and blocking justice. The massacre remains shrouded in mystery, with the precise death toll, the full circumstances of the killings, and the location of the victims' graves still unresolved. The French state had previously characterised the soldier as a deserter and claimed his wages had been paid in full, but these claims were later acknowledged to be historically inaccurate.
The ruling has been welcomed by the soldier's son, who said it was inadequate but acknowledged the significance of the verdict. The trauma of the massacre is still felt in Senegal and across the West African countries from which the soldiers were drawn, including present-day Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
The case is now expected to continue, with the soldier's son seeking further damages and interest for his father's death.
The French state's failure to properly investigate the death of an African rifleman in the 1944 Thiaroye massacre is a stark example of the historical injustices faced by colonial troops. The €10,000 damages award is a meager compensation for the soldier's family, and it is clear that France owes far more to the families of the tirailleurs. The trauma of the massacre continues to be felt in West Africa, and it is essential that France takes concrete steps to acknowledge and make amends for its past wrongdoings.
