France’s African ex-soldiers win last battle – over pensions

SOME of the last survivors in France from a colonial-era infantry corps that recruited tens of thousands of African soldiers to fight in French wars around the world will be able to live out their final days with family members back in Africa after a French government U-turn on their pension rights.

The decision to make claiming their pensions easier follows a years-long campaign on behalf of the “tirailleurs Sénégalais,” who were recruited to fight from Senegal and other former French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa.

It also coincides with the cinema release in France of a movie highlighting the sacrifices made by African soldiers on bloody French battlefields in World War I. “Tirailleurs” features actor Omar Sy, a star of the “Jurassic World” franchise.

To be eligible for their French pensions, veterans from the infantry corps founded in 1857 and disbanded a century later had to spend at least six