Citizenship Given To African Veterans Neglected After The Second World War

Above: Ex-French President Francois Hollande shakes the hand of one of the veterans and some of the veterans that fought with the French army in Algeria and Asia

Certain things can’t bring happiness but rather reflects on authorities how abusive, cruel, uncared and racist they can be.

Former French President Francois Hollande, gave citizenship to 28 Africans who fought for France in World War Two.

The veterans - many from Senegal, and aged between 78 and 90, received their new certificates of citizenship at the Elysee Palace in Paris. The question is why France decides to give them citizenship decades after the Second World War?

There has been racial tension in France in the past and present. France is a multicultural country, yet racism is so severe that foreigners can’t get a job.

Lack of employment, racism, and discrimination have generated hate in France, becoming one of the terrorists' target countries in Europe.

How many years are left for the veterans on earth after being denied justice, happiness, and recognition of devotion and sacrifice for a country which never considered them as human beings?

Mr. Hollande said France owed them "a debt of blood". Campaigners have long been calling for the rights of the veterans, long-term French residents, to be recognized.

"France is proud to welcome you, just as you were proud to carry its flag, the flag of freedom," said ex-President Hollande.

One of those granted citizenship, Mohamed Toure, said the gesture will go some way towards healing old wounds.

"ex-President Hollande did what none of his predecessors ever imagined and that repairs a lot of things," he said.

The granddaughter of a Senegalese soldier, Aissatou Seck, who is herself deputy mayor of a Parisian suburb, has been a lead campaigner for African veterans' rights.

Last year, she started a petition that gained tens of thousands of signatures in less than a week. The veterans have long been struggling for recognition and equality in France.

Until 2010, they received lower pensions than their French counterparts. Their ambiguous status also meant they lacked access to other benefits and sometimes found it difficult to travel, said the BBC's Africa editor, Mary Harper.

In 1944, dozens of West Africans were shot dead by French troops when they mutinied over unequal pay and pensions. A few years ago, Mr. Hollande acknowledged that French soldiers had gunned down their African counterparts.

But many war veterans are still demanding a full apology; however, an apology is not enough to heal their psychological wounds. They should be compensated.