Babacar Fall, a journalist with private radio station Futur Média (RFM), has reported receiving death threats following the broadcast of an interview he conducted on August 27, 2026.
The interview was broadcast a day after the Gamou, an event celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
During the event, which took place on August 26, the spiritual leader of the Muslim movement Dahiratoul Moustarchidina Wal Moustarchidaty (DMWM), Serigne Moustapha Sy, made several statements about the current political situation in Senegal and his family’s leadership of the movement. Serigne Moustapha Sy’s family has led the movement since its creation in 1970. His grandfather and father had served as leaders of the movement before him.
The day after the celebration, on August 27, Abdou Sy, who is the brother of Serigne Moustapha Sy, featured in an interview broadcast on RFM. During the interview, Abdou Sy made remarks contradicting the statements his brother had made the day before about their family and the religious movement.
Following the programme, DMWM’s communications team issued a statement challenging certain remarks made by Abdou Sy during the interview. In particular, it described some of the remarks as an “attempt to divert attention” from the real message delivered by its leader during the Gamou. DMWM also announced that its organising committee was filing a defamation complaint against Abdou Sy.
Amid the controversy, the unidentified perpetrators of the threats appear to hold Babacar Fall responsible, since Abdou Sy made his remarks on Babacar’s radio programme.
Babacar said he began receiving insults and death threats via the messaging application WhatsApp. On August 27, he posted a message on his WhatsApp status saying: “Insults and death threats since this morning… You are cowards!” The journalist thus publicly expressed his concern about the scale of the reactions generated by the interview.
The threats, generally made in the local language (Wolof) and sent from unknown numbers, targeted both the journalist and his family. Some of the messages threatened to “bring him down”.
The Council for the Observation of Ethical and Professional Rules (CORED) condemned the insults, intimidation, and death threats directed at Babacar Fall.
In a statement dated August 28, 2026, CORED expressed concern about the controversy arising from the interview. While acknowledging that matters relating to religious brotherhoods and families must be handled responsibly, given their sensitivity in the Senegalese context, the media self-regulatory body stressed that no alleged professional misconduct could justify threats or intimidation against a journalist.
The insults and death threats targeting Babacar Fall must be firmly condemned by the media community and all media stakeholders. Any disagreement with statements made during the programme, including concerns over the treatment of religious and family-related issues, should be addressed through lawful and peaceful means and cannot justify intimidation, threats, or attacks against a journalist’s physical integrity.
A journalist should not be targeted because of remarks made by a guest during a programme, especially when the journalist is carrying out his or her professional duties. Disagreements with the content of a programme must be expressed through lawful and peaceful means, including a right of reply, a referral to self-regulatory bodies, or, where appropriate, the legal remedies provided for under Senegal’s Press Code.
The Media Foundation for West Africa strongly condemns the threats and insults suffered by journalist Babacar Fall. Such threats not only constitute an infringement of Babacar Fall’s rights and safety, but also risk creating a climate of intimidation that could affect journalists’ freedom to tackle certain issues, particularly religious and political matters.
We urge security agencies to take the necessary measures to protect the journalist, investigate the reported threats, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
