France on Thursday, August 15, commemorated the 1944 Allied landings in Provence, an event overshadowed by the Normandy landings two months earlier, but still key to the World War II endgame in Europe.

Six African leaders joined official events as President Emmanuel Macron singled out the contribution of soldiers recruited – often forcibly – in French overseas colonies, notably in Africa.

It took decades for France to highlight the crucial role of non-white soldiers in the fighting. Cameroon President Paul Biya told Thursday’s ceremony that their effort had been decisive. “There would have been no Allied victory without the contribution from the other peoples, without the foreigners,” he said. “The fight was conducted together, to defend the universal values and ideas of peace and justice.”

Macron added in his speech that “when it comes to defending the nation’s vital interests all those who identify as French are called upon to come together.”

Source: Le Monde