Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The family of former Senegalese president Macky Sall has lodged a formal complaint against political commentator Ngoné Saliou Diop, accusing her of making “public insults and violent remarks with an ethnic undertone” against the ex-head of state.
Ngoné Saliou Diop launched personal attacks on Macky Sall and his Fula tribesmen with demeaning and bigoted words while commenting Senegal’s former president’s latest interview on the debt misreporting.
In response to the uproar over her remarks, columnist Ngoné Saliou Diop issued a public apology to the Pulaar community. However, it remains uncertain whether this will be enough to ease the anger of the Haal Pulaar communities, who say their honor was deeply offended.
But according to documents seen by The Gambia Journal, the complaint was filed on Wednesday, October 2, 2025, at the Division of Cybercrime in Dakar. It was submitted by Samba Ndiaye, Sall’s nephew and eldest son of the former president’s sister, on behalf of the Sall family.
In the complaint addressed to Commissioner Faye, head of the cybercrime division, Ndiaye accused Diop—known for her appearances on the media outlet Sans Limites and considered close to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko—of launching a verbal attack against Macky Sall in a viral video.
Ndiaye described her remarks as “insults of extreme violence” and “words of rare insolence” aimed at discrediting the former president.
“These statements constitute a serious attack on the honor and dignity of my family and of an entire community. They are likely to fuel tensions, sow hatred, and undermine our social cohesion,” Ndiaye wrote in the complaint. The family insists that such actions “must not go unpunished” and warned of the dangerous rise in online hate speech.
The development comes amid heightened scrutiny over the use of Senegal’s cybercrime laws, which critics argue have become a tool to silence dissent.
Civil society and opposition groups point to a series of cases where journalists, activists, and politicians have faced prosecution for comments deemed offensive by authorities or political rivals.
One of the most notable examples is opposition figure Moustapha Diakhaté, who was prosecuted for referring to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as “gougnafiers” (a pejorative term). He was sentenced to two months in prison, including 15 days in custody, after several weeks of pretrial detention.
Analysts say the case against Ngoné Saliou Diop could test the balance between freedom of expression and protection against defamation in Senegal, particularly at a time when political rivalries remain deeply charged.
For the Sall family, the matter is clear. “We invite the justice system to use all necessary legal means to ensure that such behavior is sanctioned, to protect people’s dignity, and to prevent a recurrence,” the family’s complaint stated.
