Senegal human remains: 106 cases identified in France without official restitution requests

At least 106 human remains of Senegalese origin, including skulls and anatomical samples, are currently held in French institutions, primarily dating from the 19th and early 20th-century colonial period. Despite a legal framework established by French law in December 2023 that facilitates the restitution of human remains for funerary purposes, the Senegalese government has not yet filed an official request for their return.

Deputy Guy Marius Sagna highlighted this issue following a written response from the government. Authorities stated that no formal requests have been received from the descendants of resistance heroes, nor have there been specific recommendations from researchers or historians to recover the remains.

Historical records indicate that in 1891, six skulls were provided to the Musée Broca in Paris, including the remains of five men executed in Bakel. While other nations like Algeria and Benin have actively pursued the restitution of colonial-era remains, Senegal has yet to initiate formal diplomatic or legal proceedings to reclaim these identified individuals.