A Communiqué by the National Executive Secretariat (SEN)
June 22, 2025
History bears record that, on June 23, 2011, the Senegalese people rose up to reject the creeping authoritarianism and the erosion of popular sovereignty in the country. That day was more than a civic uprising, it marked a major turning point that paved way for the country’s last two democratic transitions in 2012 and again in 2024. June 23 is not just a date on the calendar but it is also a symbol of struggle, civic dignity, and the power of collective action.
But while the memory of that uprising is commemorated each year, a deeply repressive symbol from that same era still lingers in Senegal’s legal landscape: the Ousmane Ngom Decree. Signed on July 20, 2011, by then-Minister for the Interior Ousmane Ngom, the decree no. 007580/MINT/SP bans political demonstrations across large swathes of Dakar. The prohibited zones include Avenue El Hadji Malik Sy, Cap Manuel, as well as major civic and symbolic landmarks such as the Renaissance Monument, courthouses, hospitals, and other public spaces. This effectively polarizes Dakar into two zones: one where people can demonstrate without any impediment, and others where the people are condemned to silence.
The decree is a continuing violation of the rights to free expression, assembly, and demonstration—fundamental freedoms enshrined in Senegal’s Constitution and protected under international human rights treaties to which the country is a party. It imposes arbitrariness and discriminatory restrictions on where people can express their political will, silencing the very voices that reshaped Senegal’s democracy.
While this decree has been explicitly condemned by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which recognized its arbitrary nature and demanded its immediate repeal; its continued enforcement despite a binding regional court decision, raises serious concerns about the rule of law and Senegal’s adherence to international obligations. Worse still, it sends a demoralizing message to the citizens whose struggles made democracy possible.
Keeping in force a decree designed to silence the streets in service of a collapsing regime, the current government turns its back on the legacy of June 23. It betrays the hopes of those who risked their lives to defend democratic rights in this country and undermines the spirit of June 23. Change cannot be real if the instruments of past repression remain in place.
FRAPP demands the immediate repeal of the Ousmane Ngom decree, either by decision of the Minister for the Interior or by presidential decree. If the current government is sincere about celebrating June 23 and upholding its legacy, then it must act.
We cannot celebrate June 23 while still keeping in place the chains the people fought to break.
We cannot claim to govern in the name of the people while shrinking the spaces which afforded them the right to freedom of expression.
To truly honor the spirit of June 23, we must remove the chains it helped break. Repealing the Ousmane Ngom Decree is an imperative and constitutes honouring the matyrs of June 23.
The National Executive Secretariat (SEN) of FRAPP
June 22, 2025
