The announcement of Macky Sall’s return to Senegal has ignited fierce debates across the nation. Victims of political violence and families who lost loved ones during the 2021 and 2024 crackdowns feel their suffering is being trivialized by the former president’s presence.

Salimaa Thiam, whose son Ousmane Dia died in the unrest under Sall’s administration, expressed raw pain: “Hearing Macky Sall is coming back to Senegal reopened wounds I thought had healed. I’m still grieving my child, murdered during political clashes. This visit is a fresh insult to my loss.”

She added, “We don’t want Macky Sall in this country. He’s responsible for our suffering. If he hadn’t done what he did, he’d be welcome like any other citizen. But not him—he should stay away.”

Mabinta Bibi Djiba, twice imprisoned during the political unrest, speaks of unresolved wounds. Detained in 2021 and 2024, she was released under electronic monitoring. For her, President Diomaye Faye’s calls for reconciliation ring hollow without justice first. “Reconciliation cannot come before accountability. We need to identify who ordered these crimes before we can move forward.”

Political betrayal

Guy Marius Sagna, a member of the opposition Pastef party, sees President Diomaye Faye’s decision to host Sall as a betrayal of his campaign promises. He condemns the move as support for Sall’s bid for UN Secretary-General. “During his inauguration, Diomaye Faye swore he would never let the people down. How can he now embrace the architect of our suffering—the man behind torture, political assassinations, and unlawful detentions from 2021 to 2024?”

Professor Adama Sadio, a political science lecturer at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, highlights the political dimensions of the controversy. “The victims are often labeled as political militants or supporters of Pastef. Their suffering is politicized, and any action against them or their families is seen as a way to undermine Diomaye.”

The collective of Macky Sall’s victims has condemned the state’s approval of his visit. They argue it insults all those who endured repression in 2021 and 2024.