Senegalese Minister dismissed over controversial remarks on Colonial Riflemen

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Minister Cheikh Oumar Diagne on Tuesday, December 31, following public outrage over comments he made labeling Senegalese riflemen, who served in France’s colonial campaigns, as “traitors.” The remarks ignited widespread condemnation in Senegal, a former French colony.

During a December 21 interview on the local television station Fafa TV, Diagne claimed that those honoring the riflemen misunderstood their role, stating that “The riflemen are traitors. They fought against their brothers” during uprisings and anti-colonial wars in Africa.

In response, President Faye issued a decree removing Diagne from his position as Minister of Administration and Equipment at the Presidency of the Republic. He has been replaced by Papa Thione Dieng, as announced in the decree published on Tuesday. While no official reasons for the dismissal were provided, government spokesman Moustapha Njekk Sarré had earlier denounced Diagne’s comments, describing them as “unfortunate” and affirming that the riflemen are “heroes of the Nation.”

The backlash extended beyond government circles. Lamine Bâ, a former minister and spokesperson for a collective representing descendants of Senegalese riflemen, condemned the remarks as “insulting and shameful.” Public criticism of Diagne also surged across media and online platforms, with many demanding his resignation.

This controversy comes in a year when Senegal commemorated the tragic events of December 1, 1944, at the Thiaroye military camp near Dakar. French colonial forces had fired on repatriated African riflemen, including Senegalese troops, who were demanding overdue pay after fighting in Europe. The official death toll reported by French authorities was 35, but historians estimate the number could be as high as 400. The massacre remains a poignant and unresolved chapter in Senegal’s colonial history.

Cheikh Oumar Diagne, known for his controversial statements, had been appointed to his post after President Faye assumed office in March. His past remarks on religious leaders and Muslim brotherhoods, highly influential in Senegal, had already drawn criticism. Calls for his dismissal had intensified in recent months, with religious leaders, political opponents, and the public voicing their disapproval of his polarizing rhetoric.