Senegalese riflemen who fought in wars for France finally return home

By Esra Taskin and Alaattin Dogru

PARIS/ANKARA (AA) - Senegalese riflemen who fought for France during World War II can finally return home.

The "Tirailleurs senegalais," as they are known in French, were forced to fight alongside French troops during the war.

They had to live miles from their families and homes for decades to receive their army pensions.

President of the Association for the Memory and History of Senegalese Infantrymen, Aissata Seck, told Anadolu that nine riflemen won the fight and can now return to Senegal without losing their social rights.

Seck, who is also a member of the regional assembly of Ile-de-France, is the grandson of a rifleman who fought for France during the Indochina War from 1946 to 1954 in Southeast Asia.

The nine riflemen, who range in age from 95 - 96, also fought in the Algerian War from 1954 - 1962, said Seck. He said they obtained French citizenship in 2017 after years of struggle.

For years, the former soldiers were asked to provide documents, including birth records which were not issued at the time in Senegal.

They finally won the battle against French authorities.

Seck said the riflemen were obliged to spend six months per year in France to be eligible to receive their pension. As a result, they spent a long time in deplorable conditions due to the regulations, leaving their families and native homes behind.

The president of the association said one, who stayed in Senegal for six months and 15 days because of his sick wife, saw his pension cut off, and France asked him to pay back €17,000 ($18,800).

Seck noted that movies about the riflemen contributed to their struggle. Senegalese riflemen started to receive their trimestrial pension like the rest of the French soldiers as of 2007, due to the movie, Days of Glory (Indigenes, 2006.)

Then Father & Soldier (Tirailleurs) in 2023 helped to raise their profiles again.

Soldiers coming from Sub-Saharan Africa under the French colony were members of the colonial infantry battalion created by Napoleon III in 1857.

Most of the soldiers were Senegalese, so Senegalese Tirailleurs was named after them but the battalion also gathered soldiers from Benin, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania -- former French colonies.

The Senegalese riflemen had been deployed in many battles during the world wars, including the Battle of Verdun in France and the Battle of Canakkale in Türkiye, until no less than 17 African countries gained their independence in 1960.

About 200,000 Senegalese riflemen were deployed during World War l and 140,000 during World War ll. At least 60,000 were killed in total.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara