The victory of the Lions of Teranga on January 18th leaves a bitter taste for the families of 18 Senegalese supporters . Sentenced by the Moroccan courts to prison terms of up to one year for "hooliganism" during the final against Morocco, these supporters are now the focus of intense public mobilization.

A diplomatic and civic offensive

On Thursday, February 26, a group of citizens took a symbolic step by delivering an official memorandum to the Moroccan embassy in Dakar. Their objective is clear: to denounce convictions deemed unjust and demand the immediate repatriation of the detainees.

"Our brothers are deprived of their freedom solely for having believed in their nation," says Ephrem Manga, a member of the collective, who does not hesitate to speak of "hostage-taking."

Tension points

The anger of families and associations rests on two pillars:

1. Conditions of detention: Relatives report that prisoners lack food, clothing and financial resources.
2. The inaction of the authorities: Blaise Niang, of ASC Lebougui (four of whose members are imprisoned), criticizes the lack of support from the Senegalese state. According to him, only the solidarity of the Senegalese diaspora in Morocco currently allows the prisoners to meet their basic needs.

Next steps

The pressure is not expected to ease anytime soon on the Dakar-Rabat axis. To transform this plea into a mass movement, the collective is calling for a large peaceful march this Saturday, February 28th .