I'd do it all over again, says Senegalese rifleman who fought for France

Name: I'd do it all over again, says Senegalese rifleman who fought for France
Uploaded: 2023-01-18T15:38:49+00:00
Duration: 2 min 41 s
Description: Yoro Diao, a Senegalese tirailleur (rifleman) who fought in the French army in the Indochina and Algerian wars, is preparing to return to Senegal for good after the French government allowed surviving tirailleurs to claim their state pensions back home. We met him in his hostel in Bondy, near Paris, where he reflects on the past and his pride in defending his former colonial master.

Issued on: 20/01/2023 - 19:24

Yoro Diao (L) alongside fellow Senegalese tirailleur M'Bodji Guorgui at their hostel in Bondy, north of Paris. The photo shows Diao with his comrades in north Vietnam where he defended France as a member of the 24th Infantry Regiment of Senegalese Tirailleurs. © RFI/Hird

Video by: Alison Hird Follow

Yoro Diao, a Senegalese tirailleur (rifleman) who fought in the French army in the Indochina and Algerian wars, is preparing to return to Senegal for good after the French government allowed surviving tirailleurs to claim their state pensions back home. We met him in his hostel in Bondy, near Paris, where he reflects on the past and his pride in defending his former colonial master.