Réparations coloniales : Le Forum de Bamako interpelle le Sénégal sur Thiaroye et la justice postcoloniale
The Pan-African Forum on Reparations for Colonization, held in Bamako on July 19, 2025 by Youri Communication and Africable Télévision under the theme "Colonial Crimes: The Time for Compensation Has Come," echoes Senegal, marked by the wounds of colonialism, notably the Thiaroye massacre in 1944. Part of the dynamics of the African Union, which proclaimed 2025 "the year of reparations," this forum brought together lawyers, economists, deputies and intellectuals to demand concrete measures: restitution of cultural property, financial compensation, symbolic reparations and official recognition of colonial crimes.
Senegal faces its past
In Senegal, the Thiaroye affair, in which dozens of demobilized Senegalese riflemen were killed by the French army for demanding their pay, remains a raw wound. Long hidden, this event embodies colonial violence and fuels a growing demand for truth, recognition, and reparations. In Dakar, historians, pan-African activists, and descendants of riflemen are urging France to fully assume its responsibilities, beyond symbolic gestures. Thiaroye is a starting point for demanding justice, just like the crimes denounced in Bamako.
Lessons from the Forum
The forum's interventions made a lasting impression. Economist Fousseynou Ouattara revealed that of the 4,800 tons of gold in French vaults, two-thirds came from Africa, and more than 2,000 tons were held in the United Kingdom. "They didn't pay for it, they stole it," he denounced, calling for immediate restitution and the creation of a pan-African committee to assess the losses. Mohamed Ousmane Ag Mohamedoun Haïdara, an international relations specialist, conditioned reparations on genuine political sovereignty, demanding that African countries impose recognition of colonial crimes as a prerequisite for negotiations. Youssouf Z. Coulibaly, an expert in public law, proposed a roadmap: interstate collaboration, the creation of a pan-African legal committee, recourse to international texts, and a revision of the law to make colonial crimes imprescriptible.
Strengthening African institutions
Modibo Sako and Assana Seye called for strengthening the African Court on Human Rights to handle reparations claims, criticizing the ineffectiveness and bias of the International Criminal Court. These proposals aim to provide Africa with autonomous judicial tools.
A call to action for Senegal
Senegal, rich in its pan-African history, must fully engage in this struggle for postcolonial justice. Honoring the riflemen of Thiaroye, recovering looted cultural property, and demanding economic reparations are priorities. The Bamako Forum, far from being an isolated initiative, calls for regional mobilization. Dakar could host a similar initiative to amplify this continental movement, led by nations determined to defend their dignity and their past.
Commentaires (7)
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.