Land disputes and controversial land allocations to private interests are on the rise in Senegal. A new case has erupted in Sébikotane, where a coalition of citizens' groups is denouncing the "worrying silence" of the authorities regarding the dry port project led by the private company Holding Gueye SA, located in the heart of the Sébikotane classified forest, a national ecological heritage site.

The groups of farmers and residents of Dougar, Gandoul, Ndoukhoura and Dougar Potou, including the Collective against Land Spoliation in Dougar (CSFD), express their deep concern about what they describe as a serious attack on legality and the environment.

Illegal lease

According to the groups, the 115-hectare development project is based on a non-existent legal foundation. The memorandum of understanding signed with the Water and Forestry Department is, according to them, "legally null and void."

"No Senegalese law allows this management or a private partner to authorize the deforestation of a classified site," they assert.

The groups continue. "Despite this illegality, Holding Gueye SA has already carried out extensive earthworks, destroying a large part of the trees. The local farmers, for their part, have been refused any clearing for years," they lament.

Biased consultations and unjustified exclusions

The group accuses the local administration, particularly the sub-prefect of Diamniadio, of bias in the organization of the so-called consultation meetings.

On October 21, 2025, a meeting was convened under conditions deemed unacceptable.

"The delegates from the village of Gandoul, although directly concerned, were expelled from the room. The representatives of the citizens' collectives suffered the same fate, despite their participation in a previous meeting in January," they said.

Presence of dubious private interests

The groups explain that real estate developer Abdou Ndiaye, a non-resident of the area, has been summoned. They accuse him of benefiting from two illegal subdivision permits on plots of land within the protected area, issued by the municipality of Diamniadio, which they deem "legally incompetent."

The group points out that a pre-validation committee, meeting in September 2025, had demanded a public hearing to assess the project's impacts. The sub-prefect's attitude, in ignoring these recommendations and excluding the local population, is denounced as a "blatant act of bias in favor of Holding Gueye SA."

Clear demands and undiminished mobilization

The populations of Dougar, Gandoul and Ndoukhoura reaffirm their mobilization and formulate specific demands:

- The immediate suspension of the dry port project;

- The opening of an administrative and environmental inquiry into the 25-year lease and the subdivision permits;

- A public reaction from the President of the Republic and his government;

- Compliance with laws on partial declassification, solely for the benefit of the legitimate needs of local populations.

The groups conclude: "The government cannot condemn injustice in one area and condone it in Sébikotane."

They promise to use all civic and legal means to defend their right to a healthy environment, social justice and respect for the laws of the Republic.