They were Macky Sall's bulwarks until his departure from the Palace of the Republic on April 2, 2024. Mame Mbaye Niang, Yakham Mbaye, Abdou Karim Fofana, Abdoulaye Saydou Sow: these fierce defenders of the former president have walled themselves into a disturbing silence, less than a year after the end of his reign. A simple strategic retreat or an escape in the face of the impending legal storm? While Macky Sall, based in Morocco, is in the crosshairs of the Senegalese justice system, his former lieutenants are conspicuous by their absence.

Macky Sall in the sights

The current government is not letting go of the former president. On February 28, 2025, his spokesperson, Mouhamadou Moustapha Ndieck Sarré, accused him of "extremely serious acts" and "false figures" in public finances. "He will be brought to justice," he thundered. Macky Sall's response in Jeune Afrique: "I refute these absurd allegations. The Court of Auditors has certified our finances every year. If they want to prosecute me, let them!" Meanwhile, his son Amadou Sall is subject to a committal warrant requested by the financial prosecutor's office, and several close associates are languishing in prison for fraud and money laundering.

Mame Mbaye Niang: Discreet exile in Marrakech?

Once omnipresent in defending Macky Sall and fighting against Ousmane Sonko – whom he had convicted of defamation – Mame Mbaye Niang has vanished since Pastef's victory on March 24, 2024. The former Minister of Tourism was reportedly spotted in Marrakech, while the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) forwarded a damning report on Prodac to the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC). Coincidence or leak?

Abdou Karim Fofana: The voice of postponement is fading away

Macky Sall's last spokesman, Abdou Karim Fofana, had struggled to justify the postponement of the election from February to December 2024, calling for a "credible and inclusive" vote. Today, the former minister has disappeared from the screens, leaving observers perplexed by this sudden silence.

Yakham Mbaye: The Broken Feather

A theorist of the "Faye-Sall dynasty" and Macky Sall's media watchdog, Yakham Mbaye has never shied away from a fight. But after being ousted from the leadership of Le Soleil by the new regime, the journalist put away his pen, retiring well before the electoral debacle.

Abdoulaye Saydou Sow fully committed to the round ball

A staunch defender of the Emerging Senegal Plan, Abdoulaye Saydou Sow, mayor of Kaffrine, attempted to remobilize the APR after Macky Sall's departure. But after the failure of the November 17, 2024, legislative elections, he refocused on his football club and his role at the Senegalese Football Federation, still awaiting a reassignment from the state. "If the state doesn't use me, I'll try something else," he confided to L'Observateur.

The Last Resistance: A Struggle on Hold

Only a few diehards, like Thérèse Faye and Abdou Mbow, still stand up to Pastef in the Assembly. But the spotlight remains on Pape Malick Ndour and Mansour Faye, the latter of whom was stopped dead on March 10, 2025, at Blaise Diagne Airport as he was leaving for Mecca. The fall of the Sall empire seems to be sweeping his followers into the shadows.