Senegal: Four charged, a first for the political violence of 2021-2024

The Senegalese justice system has charged four people for acts linked to the repression of political demonstrations that shook the country between March 2021 and February 2024, reports Africanews on September 25, 2026. This is the first time that criminal proceedings have been initiated for this deadly period, which occurred under the presidency of Macky Sall.

Who is being prosecuted?

According to Africanews, the individuals charged are Ameth Tidiane Cissé, identified as a security chief, Djibril Gaye, a security agent, as well as Amadou Guindo Traoré and Djibril Diaw. They are being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, crimes against humanity, torture, unlawful confinement, kidnapping, and violence, specifically targeting one man, Pape Abdoulaye Touré, in June 2023. Djibril Gaye has been placed in detention, Ameth Tidiane Cissé is under judicial supervision, and the other two remain free pending trial. All remain presumed innocent.

Bypassing the amnesty law

The choice of the classification of "crimes against humanity" is not trivial: it aims to bypass the amnesty law adopted in 2024, which covers acts related to the political demonstrations of that period. Crimes against humanity are indeed considered imprescriptible and cannot, in principle, be amnestied.

The toll of these years of crisis remains heavy: at least 65 deaths according to a count by journalists and researchers, and more than 80 according to official estimates, as reported by Africanews. The demonstrations had erupted against a backdrop of fears of a third term for Macky Sall and the sidelining of the opposition, before intensifying after the arrest of opposition figure Ousmane Sonko in 2023, who is now Prime Minister.

A first step

For lawyer Juan Branco, who is assisting victims, these charges constitute a "modest and late" step forward, according to Africanews. The families of victims have been demanding truth and justice for years. The remainder of the proceedings will determine whether the Senegalese justice system is capable of tracing the chain of responsibility, including to the highest levels of the state at the time.

For human rights defenders, the stakes go beyond Senegal: it is a matter of showing that a democratic transition can be accompanied by fair justice, without a spirit of revenge but without impunity.