“The inter-African fraternity will naturally regain the upper hand”: after the CAN, the Senegalese Prime Minister will go to Morocco

Diplomacy after sport. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko will be on an official visit to Rabat from Monday, after the incidents in the CAN final won last Sunday by Senegal against Morocco and the tensions which persist between supporters of the two countries.

Ousmane Sonko’s trip is part of the “Great Joint Commission” between the two states scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, a source at the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. A Moroccan-Senegalese economic forum is also planned for this occasion, according to the Moroccan agency MAP.

Dakar and Rabat maintain long-standing relations of friendship and cooperation in several sectors, including tourism, energy, training, infrastructure and transport. The two countries share very strong religious ties.

A trial on January 29 in Rabat

This Senegal-Morocco meeting is planned as supporters of the two countries rage on social networks over the incidents during the final won 1-0 after extra time by Senegal in a volcanic final.

Eighteen Senegalese supporters are in pre-trial detention in Morocco where they are being prosecuted for acts of “hooliganism” during this final. Their trial was postponed until January 29 after opening Thursday in a Rabat court.

King Mohammed VI deplored Thursday the “unfortunate incidents and very deplorable actions” during the final, according to a press release from the royal cabinet. But “once the passion has subsided, inter-African brotherhood will naturally take over,” assures this text.

On social networks, Prime Minister Sonko wanted to “dispassionate this episode which, in no case, can go beyond the simple sporting framework”.

It all started with a penalty

A penalty whistled in favor of the host country at the end of regulation time after consulting the video referee, just after a disallowed goal in Senegal, led to the departure of some of the Senegalese players from the field, eventually returning at the request of their star player Sadio Mané.

Many Senegalese supporters meanwhile tried to invade the pitch for nearly 15 minutes, before being controlled with difficulty by the police and stewards. Several of them also threw various projectiles towards the lawn.

Nationals from sub-Saharan African countries represented 59.9% of all foreign migrants settled in Morocco in 2024, compared to only 26.8% in 2014. Senegal constitutes the first nationality represented among foreigners residing in the kingdom, with 18.4%, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).