Saint-Raphael, France: President Emmanuel Macron saluted on Thursday a French army “that emerged from the shadows and exile” during the Allied landings on the Mediterranean coast 75 years ago, praising in particular the sacrifices made by fighters from France’s former colonies in Africa.
“The glory of all these soldiers of the Liberation is immense, and our gratitude must never fade. We will never forget anything, nor anyone,” Macron told veterans at the Boulouris national cemetery in Saint-Raphael.
He was joined by the presidents of Guinea and Ivory Coast, Alpha Conde and Alassane Ouattara, for a ceremony marking the 1944 operation which saw French forces take a lead role in freeing their country from Nazi Germany’s grip.
Only a handful of French soldiers had taken part in the Normandy landings a few weeks earlier, which for decades overshadowed the Provence landings that were nonetheless crucial in turning the war’s tide.
The offensive included the remnants of France’s free forces as well as thousands of soldiers from its African colonies.
“For decades these African fighters did not have the glory and the esteem they deserved for their bravery,” Macron said, adding that through their spilled blood, “France has a part of Africa in it.”
He urged the mayors of towns and cities to name streets and public squares in honour of soldiers from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco as well as West Africa.
“These men make all of Africa proud, and express the essence of France: a commitment, a love of liberty and greatness, a spirit of resistance united by courage,” Macron said.
Conde also lauded the “shared memory of the French and African people,” saying that without the sacrifice of the colonial fighters, “humanity would not be able to keep fighting for peace.”
Besides accelerating the German retreat, the Mediterranean landings were hugely symbolic for a French nation eager to emphasise its role in its own liberation.
Some 450,000 Allied soldiers using more than 2,000 ships took part in Operation Dragoon, including 250,000 French fighters, with most of the rest from the US.
— AFP
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