On 1 December 1944, more than 400 ‘tirailleurs’ (Senegalese riflemen) were killed by French colonial troops. Although Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged their deaths as a ‘massacre’, the battle of memory between France and Senegal is far from over.

Senegal commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre. At the ceremony held at the military cemetery in Thiaroye on Sunday (), President Diomaye Faye announced the construction of a memorial.

Senegal on Sunday (December 1) commemorated the 80th anniversary of a massacre of African soldiers who fought for France during World War Two, and were gunned down by French troops in 1944 for demanding fair treatment and payment on their return.