Despite the heated controversy surrounding the announcement of her visit, Sokhna Aïda Diallo, widow of Serigne Cheikh Béthio Thioune, was received on Saturday in Touba by Serigne Sidy Abdoul Ahad Mbacké.
Many had feared the visit could spark trouble as Sokhna Aïda and the “Thiantacoune” militia of her late husband were previously barred by the general caliph of the Mourides, Serigne Mountakha Mbacké, from Touba.
The lavish meals announced for the occasion were served, and the widow of Cheikh Béthio was received with full honours at the compound, just a few metres from the Grand Mosque of Touba.
Speaking to his guest, Serigne Sidy Abdoul Ahad Mbacké did not shy away from the controversy. In a highly symbolic speech, he began by emphasising Sokhna Aïda Diallo’s religious affiliation with the Mouride brotherhood: “I bear witness that Sokhna Aïda Saliou is a Mouride disciple,” he declared.
The dignitary then invoked the memory of his own father, the former caliph general of the Mourides, Serigne Abdoul Ahad Mbacké, to legitimise this reception: “I bear witness that this visit to Touba greatly pleases Serigne Abdoul Ahad Mbacké,” he affirmed, before offering a prayer for his guest: “I pray that through this visit, all your sins may be forgiven.”
Continuing in a warm and straightforward manner, Serigne Sidy Abdoul Ahad Mbacké symbolically opened the doors of his compound to Sokhna Aïda Diallo, without conditions or restrictions: “This house is yours, you can come as you please.” This statement was followed by a phrase that resonated as a direct response to those within his own circle who opposed the visit: “That’s nobody’s business.”
This statement by Serigne Sidy Abdoul Ahad Mbacké comes at a particularly sensitive time. Since 2019, Sokhna Aïda Diallo has been effectively sidelined by the general caliph of the Mourides, Serigne Mountakha Mbacké, who accused her of usurping religious prerogatives — baptisms, marriages — normally reserved for established leaders. He eventually barred her from his own home, instructing her to limit her interactions to Serigne Saliou Thioune, the designated caliph of the lineage of Cheikh Béthio.
By choosing to receive the person in question with great pomp, and by stating loudly and clearly that this approach “is nobody’s business”, Serigne Sidy Abdoul Ahad Mbacké seems to be deviating from the line of caution observed until now by a part of the religious establishment of Touba, where every gesture towards Sokhna Aïda Diallo is scrutinised in light of the position of the general caliph.