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Three Senegalese social media influencers linked to former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s political movement have been sentenced to prison over comments directed at President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in a case that has raised fresh concerns about freedom of expression in the West African nation.
The influencers, who are affiliated with Feenal Digital, an online media platform supporting Sonko’s Pastef party, were convicted of “insulting the head of state” and “speech contrary to public decency” following a TikTok video posted earlier this year.
In the video, the three men said they had prayed for what they described as “Senegal’s greatest traitor” to suffer severe illness or death. Although President Faye was not mentioned by name, the court ruled that the comments were directed at him.
Mandoumbe Diop, popularly known online as Lamignou Darou, received a three-month prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs ($880). Diop has about 500,000 followers on TikTok, where his videos regularly attract thousands of views.
Two other influencers, Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, also known as Ndiaye Touba, were each sentenced to two months in prison and fined the same amount.
Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, criticised the ruling, describing it as a “dangerous precedent for the justice system”. He argued that the comments did not constitute a criminal offence because the president was never directly named.
“We are stunned by this decision, as we believe no criminal offence was committed,” Ndiaye told AFP.
He said the video was a “satirical skit” in which the influencers were discussing the idea of betrayal among friends rather than targeting the president.
“Senegalese democracy as it stands today does not allow for the arrest of people simply for performing a satirical skit about political figures whom they did not even explicitly name,” he added.
The case comes after a political split between Faye and Sonko, whose backing helped propel Faye to power in 2024. The two allies later disagreed over several issues, including the management of Senegal’s significant public debt challenges.
The influencers’ legal team has announced plans to appeal the verdict, as debates continue over the balance between protecting public officials from abuse and safeguarding political criticism in Senegal.
