The Thiaroye military cemetery near Dakar, Senegal, tells a silent story through its disturbed earth, scattered headstones, and broken concrete. These are the visible scars of recent archaeological digs, a determined effort to uncover the hidden truths of a horrific World War II massacre perpetrated by French colonial forces.
In November 1944, approximately 1,600 West African soldiers, who had fought for France and subsequently been captured by Germany, were tragically sent to the Thiaroye camp.
However, their return was met with deep resentment. The soldiers’ growing anger stemmed from unpaid wages and the French authorities’ failure to grant them the same fair treatment afforded to their white counterparts.
This simmering discontent culminated on December 1st, when French forces brutally opened fire on the unarmed soldiers.
To this day, the precise details of the massacre remain shrouded in mystery, including the exact number of casualties and their final resting places.
An AFP team recently visited the very cemetery where archaeologists are now undertaking significant excavations, meticulously searching for and examining the remains of those who perished.
The cemetery itself features 202 graves, identifiable by white headstones and cement outlines, many adorned with scattered shells.
The identity of those buried in these graves is largely unknown, and it’s unclear if every marker even holds remains. So far, only a small fraction of the graves have been carefully excavated by the research team.
Established in 1926 by colonial France specifically for African soldiers, the cemetery is now believed by some researchers to be the burial site for many of the riflemen killed during the Thiaroye massacre.
Excavated burial containers, now carefully shielded with blue plastic, stand as silent witnesses to the diligent work of the archaeologists.
Senegal has long asserted the difficulty in accessing French colonial archives, which would be crucial for a comprehensive study of the massacre.
According to Colonel Saliou Ngom, director of the Senegalese army’s archives and historical heritage, this lack of access necessitated an unconventional approach: “making the underground speak.”
Remarkably, initial excavations have focused on the areas beneath two massive baobab trees – imposing natural landmarks that often hint at the presence of buried remains.
History and geography professor Mamadou Kone, a technical adviser to the Armed Forces Museum, explained to AFP that the baobab is a “calcareous tree, one that likes limestone.”
He added, “Where there are bones, there are often baobabs.”
Evidence of Brutality
On October 16, researchers presented an official report to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, unequivocally labeling the massacre as “premeditated” and covered up, revealing a death toll far higher than previously acknowledged.
At the time, French colonial authorities claimed a maximum of 70 World War II riflemen were killed.
However, the new research indicates a much higher, more credible estimate of 300 to 400 deaths, with some of these men interred within the Thiaroye cemetery.
Moustapha Sall, one of the lead archaeologists, detailed that seven graves have been excavated from an initial cluster of 34.
Colonel Ngom emphasized the significance: “Archaeologists found seven skeletons. This is a very important step in the search for historical truth.”
Mr. Sall further revealed, “One skeleton contains a bullet lodged in its left side, near the heart.”
He continued, “Other remains are missing a spine, ribs, or skull. Disturbingly, some individuals were buried with iron chains still on their shins.”
“This unequivocally points to the violence they endured,” Sall concluded.
Intriguingly, Mr. Sall noted that the graves themselves appear to be more recent than the human remains they contain.
“One hypothesis,” Mr. Sall suggested, “is that the graves were constructed after the initial burials, or perhaps it was a deliberate staging to create the impression of proper interment.”
Forensic Investigations: Genetic and Ballistic Studies
The next critical phase, according to Mr. Sall, involves collecting DNA samples to accurately determine the origins of these individuals.
He acknowledged, “The preliminary results, while revealing, do not yet provide all the answers.”
Furthermore, he added that ballistics experts would analyze the findings to shed light on the military equipment used.
To further aid discovery, the Senegalese government has commissioned ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology to comprehensively map the cemetery’s subsurface.
Colonel Ngom powerfully stated, “We have been searching for the historical truth for 81 years. If the subsoil provides us with this truth, there is nothing more significant.”
President Faye, who has publicly vowed to honor and preserve the soldiers’ memory, has officially authorized “the continuation of archaeological excavations at all sites likely to contain mass graves.”
This renewed effort follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s acknowledgement in November 2024, ahead of the atrocity’s 80th anniversary, that French colonial forces indeed committed a “massacre” in Thiaroye.