The Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene published its update on the diphtheria outbreak on Tuesday, 8th September. Since the first case was confirmed on 1st August, 2026, Senegal has recorded 57 confirmed cases of diphtheria, including eight deaths. According to the Ministry, “the Kédougou region is the most affected with 27 cases, including 18 in Kédougou, 7 in Saraya, and 2 in Salémata.” This is followed by the Louga region with 8 cases, Dakar with 7 cases (6 in Guédiawaye), and Thiès with 7 cases (6 in Mbour). Diphtheria is an infectious and contagious disease, but preventable through vaccination.” It manifests as a sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing, and sometimes difficulty breathing.
Internet access: Sonatel blocks StarlinkSonatel has scored a significant victory in the battle for control of the Internet access market in Senegal. According to Libération, its main competitor, Starlink, has just suffered a major setback: the Supreme Court has suspended the decree authorising the company, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to sell Internet access in the country. The authorisation was granted under President Macky Sall by the Minister of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Affairs, and was to last for five years. “After hearing Sonatel’s request, which initiated the proceedings, the Court considers that the arguments raised by Sonatel are sufficient to create serious doubt as to the legality of the challenged decision,” reports Libération.
Minister-advisor to the president says they are going to expose Sonko’s scandalsMinister-Advisor to the President of the Republic, Aldiouma Sow, has attacked former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. In a post published on Facebook, Aldiouma Sow strongly criticised Sonko and his political entourage. The minister-advisor refers to the “Kosmos Affair”, which he links to other cases he describes as “financial scandals.” He also cited the Jaam account of the Casamance Peace Fund and asserts that “other scandals” would be revealed in the coming days and weeks. According to Sow, these affairs demonstrate that the former prime minister and his associates should now “account to the Senegalese people for their two years in office.” He added: “If I were them, I would keep a low profile and stay out of the limelight until 2050.” He concluded with the threat: “The republic will confront them!”
Citizens’ movement ‘Ziguinchor Rek’ joins Diomaye’s partyA citizens’ movement calling itself ‘Ziguinchor Rek’ has issued a statement announcing the decision to join the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The movement which is set up in the heartland of Speaker Ousmane Sonko’s base, wrote: We have made a choice. A well-considered, deliberate, and irreversible choice. We, the citizens’ movement “Ziguinchor Rek,” led by Idrissa Benjamin Sané, are joining the Kiiraay Party founded by the president. We thank Aminata Touré, former prime minister and coordinator of the Diomaye President Coalition, and Yankhoba Diémé, Minister of the Armed Forces, for their unwavering commitment to Casamance and their support for the momentum generated by our movement. As sons and daughters of Casamance, we have always championed the demand for balanced, inclusive, and equitable development of our region. We fully and wholeheartedly endorse President Faye’s vision: that of a sovereign, just, and united Senegal, where every region, without exception, benefits from the same development opportunities.”
APR: Double blow for Macky SallThe ranks of the APR continue to thin. Former minister Abdoulaye Bibi Baldé and former MP Amy Yaya Diallo have left Macky Sall’s party. According to Les Échos newspaper which broke the news, Baldé will create his own political party, called the Rally for the Ecosystemic Transformation of Senegal (RTES). Meanwhile, Diallo, the newspaper added, has joined Kiiraay. Originally from Bakel and a former member of the now-defunct High Council of Territorial Authorities (HCCT), she switched sides after meeting with President Diomaye Faye.