A Senegalese man, Biram Senghor (at least 86 years old), has filed a complaint against the French state, accusing it of concealing the corpse of his father, M’Bap Senghor, a colonial soldier killed by French forces in December 1944 during the Thiaroye massacre.
His lawyer, Mbaye Dieng, filed the complaint with a Paris court on Tuesday.
French authorities have acknowledged M’Bap Senghor’s death, which occurred when the French military suppressed African soldiers demanding their pay after returning from World War II.
While French authorities initially claimed 35 deaths in the incident, historians estimate the real toll could be as high as 400.
According to historian Armelle Mabon, French authorities initially claimed M’Bap Senghor had “not returned” or was a deserter, only officially recognizing his death in 1953.
Last year, France recognized Senghor and five others killed in Thiaroye as having “given their life to France.”
Biram Senghor and his lawyer are demanding to know the location of his father’s remains, alleging that France removed relevant archives after Senegal’s independence to conceal information.
A French government source, however, stated in December that France had “done everything it had to” and made all related archives available.
Excavations in Thiaroye, ongoing since early May, have uncovered human skeletons with bullet wounds.
Biram Senghor, believed to be the only surviving descendant of the slain soldiers, also stated he is owed reparations from France for over 80 years.
The Thiaroye incident, considered one of the worst massacres during French colonial rule, involved approximately 1,600 West African soldiers captured by Germany while fighting for France.
Discontent over unpaid wages and demands for equal treatment escalated, leading to French forces opening fire on December 1, 1944.