Conflict episode
Batepá massacre, 1953
On 3 February 1953, Portuguese colonial militias and administration killed forros (native Creoles) on São Tomé following a dispute over forced contract labour; the death toll is uncertain, with estimates ranging from hundreds to roughly 2,000.
What happened
In 1952 the Portuguese colonial administration proposed settling around 15,000 people from Cape Verde on São Tomé to address labour shortages; rumours spread in early 1953 that the government intended to seize forro land and compel forros into contract labour. On 3 February 1953, colonial militias and the administration responded to the resulting unrest by killing forros over the following days; the exact death toll is not established with certainty, and published estimates range from hundreds to as many as roughly 2,000.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: On 3 February 1953, following a dispute over forced contract labour, Portuguese colonial militias and administration killed forros (native Creoles) on São Tomé over the following days; the death toll is not established with certainty, and published estimates range from hundreds to as many as roughly 2,000.
- Batepá massacre (Wikipedia) link, Massacre and Death toll sections. Source record