Dominique de Villepin has stated that, if elected President of the Republic in 2027, the first person he will have interred in the Panthéon will be a Senegalese rifleman. Without having yet officially announced his candidacy, the former Prime Minister presents this measure as a symbol of recognition towards the African soldiers who fought for France.
Created in 1857, the Senegalese Tirailleurs recruited men from several territories in sub-Saharan Africa, despite a name suggesting they came exclusively from Senegal. These soldiers participated in both World Wars, as well as colonial campaigns and decolonization conflicts in Indochina and Algeria.
Dominique de Villepin denounces French "ingratitude"
The former foreign minister believes that France still owes a debt to these soldiers. He specifically mentions the Thiaroye massacre in 1944, during which African riflemen demanding payment of their back pay were killed by the French army. Dominique de Villepin also alludes to a family connection to this history, as several of his relatives fought alongside these soldiers.
This proposal allows Dominique de Villepin to incorporate issues of historical memory and relations with Africa into his potential presidential campaign. While several heads of state have already paid tribute to the Senegalese Tirailleurs, their interment in the Panthéon would constitute an unprecedented symbolic gesture, intended to collectively represent all of these combatants.
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