« Le Président Faye doit trancher » (CDEPS)
Since the advent of the third alternation in March 2024, relations between private media and the new authorities have deteriorated sharply, to the point of becoming, according to Mamadou Ibra Kane, president of the Council of Broadcasters and Press Publishers of Senegal (CDEPS), a real “war”.
In an interview with L'AS, reflecting on the origins of this rift, he identified two pivotal dates: June 9, 2024, when Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko accused the press of "tax evasion and blackmail," and then July 7, 2024, when President Bassirou Diomaye Faye claimed to be unaware of his predecessor Macky Sall's directive regarding the cancellation of tax debts. According to the head of the CDEPS, these statements marked a turning point towards administrative harassment: freezing of accounts, termination of contracts, and suspension of subsidies.
A deliberate "financial asphyxiation"
On the tax front, Mamadou Ibra Kane rejects the 40 billion CFA francs put forward by the authorities, seeing it as a "catch-all" measure intended to demonize the press. The sector also contests the management of the Press Support and Development Fund (FADP) by the Minister of Communication, Alioune Sall. According to the CDEPS (Coordination of Economic and Social Rights), of a total allocation of 1.9 billion CFA francs, "41.3% was siphoned off by public entities already funded by the State" (RTS, Le Soleil, APS), to the detriment of the private sector.
The judicial bulwark
On the legal front, the CDEPS welcomes ruling no. 12/2026 and the Constitutional Council's decision of April 7, 2026. The latter reiterates that "only the judiciary has the authority to order the permanent closure of a media outlet or the use of force by law enforcement," a reminder perceived as a rebuke to the Ministry of Communication. Despite these victories, the sector urgently demands the effective cancellation of tax debts to prevent widespread bankruptcy.
The call for presidential arbitration: "A letter is not enough"
Faced with this situation, the journalist is awaiting a strong signal from the highest levels of government. While welcoming the gesture of openness on May 3, 2024, he specifies:
“President [Bassirou Diomaye Faye] wrote to us. It was a gesture of openness that we welcomed. But a letter is not enough. Presidential arbitration is an absolute necessity when conflicts become so structural and persistent.”
The newspaper's source points out that the state owes the sector "several billion" and that 2024 subsidies remain frozen. He directly addresses the Head of State: "We ask the President to decide: is he for a free press or for a press under orders?"
![[Grain de Sel] - Macky Sall : crédit épuisé ?](https://image.seneweb.com/content/news/2026-17-25//thumb_1260x800_69ec75b20a303_UosfM3UoCK.jpg)
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