“Grand-Yoff is not a land without a master.” With this firm statement, the deputy mayor of the Grand Yoff municipality, El Hadj Ibrahima Ndiaye, expressed the municipality’s frustration this Monday, March 9, 2026. Faced with what he considers a proliferation of irregular land allocations, the town hall is raising the alarm about the threats to public infrastructure and the growing land insecurity of the population.

During a press conference, El Hadj Ibrahima Ndiaye stated that the municipality has been facing, increasingly acutely in recent months, a series of land allocations and leases granted without any consultation with the local authorities. He emphasized that "the people have a right to information, especially when a situation directly affects them."

Public facilities under threat

Among the most concerning cases is the encroachment on the grounds of the Grand Yoff civil registry office. According to the mayor's office, an individual is claiming a plot of approximately 88 square meters on this site, which serves hundreds of users daily. The deputy mayor explained that this public infrastructure was slated for expansion to improve service for citizens. "Such an appropriation would seriously undermine the continuity of public service and the dignity of users," he stated.

The Grand Yoff municipal stadium is also at the heart of the tensions. Although classified as a development zone in urban planning documents, part of the site has reportedly been sold to private individuals by the National Low-Rent Housing Company (SN HLM). Even more worrying, some areas belonging to public roads, sidewalks, and traffic lanes are also said to be subject to these sales, compromising the coherence of the urban development.

Social dramas in Khar Yalla and Bignona

Another sensitive issue concerns the Faye neighborhood (Khar Yalla), where 22 families, settled for several decades, now live under the threat of eviction after a developer presented a property title. The municipality describes this situation as "unimaginable" and "intolerable," arguing that it violates human dignity. "These families live in unbearable legal and human insecurity," the elected official emphasized.

The situation at the Bignona pig market, occupied by commercial activities for over thirty years, is also a cause for concern. An area of approximately 500 square meters could be allocated to a Protestant church, according to information from the Directorate of Land Use Monitoring and Control. For the municipality, these cases are merely the tip of the iceberg of a broader phenomenon affecting Cité Millionnaire, the Corniche, and Unit 20. "It feels like Grand-Yoff is being carved up, with leases and land titles being regularly granted without the municipality being informed," lamented the deputy mayor.

An urgent appeal for state arbitration

Faced with this situation, the Grand Yoff town hall is calling on the State to intervene swiftly to prevent an escalation of tensions. It is demanding the immediate suspension of all transfer procedures concerning public facilities, a technical and legal audit of recent leases, and the systematic involvement of the local authority in all land allocation decisions.

“Grand-Yoff is not a land without a master. It is a municipality built through the collective effort of its inhabitants,” he reminded everyone, adding that preserving these public spaces is tantamount to defending the republican ideal. The municipality says it remains open to dialogue but calls on the State to act before the situation degenerates into social conflict. An information and mobilization meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Bignona market.