More than a century after its troops burned villages and looted cultural artefacts in the quest to include Niger in its west African colonial portfolio, France has signalled willingness over possible restitution, but is yet to acknowledge responsibility. In 1899, French officers led by the captains Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine marched tirailleurs – as the African soldiers under their command were known – through communities in present-day Niger. The next year, Niger became officially absorbed into French west Africa. Entire villages along the mission’s path – including Tibiri, Zinder and smaller communities – were burned and looted, with corpses hung at their entrances. In recent years, France has begun to engage with its historical wrongdoings in Africa even as anti-French sentiments soar across the continent.