The draft law establishing the National Media Regulatory Council (CNRM) is currently being examined in the National Assembly. Private media companies, grouped within the Council of Broadcasters and Publishers of Senegal (CDEPS), have expressed serious concern, believing that the legislation could infringe upon press freedom in Senegal.

“Since the change of government on March 24, 2024, the institutional climate has gradually become strained. The grievances are both procedural and substantive. Stakeholders in the sector denounce the lack of genuine consultation with media representatives, the absence of a formal framework for discussing the final text, and the failure to share the draft before its adoption by the Council of Ministers. This approach is perceived as a worrying sign in a field where transparency and dialogue should be the norm. Beyond the form, it is the substance that is fueling the tensions,” reads the statement signed by Mamadou Ibra Kane.

Before continuing: “The Supreme Court, in its ruling of December 11, 2025, forcefully reiterated that ‘the creation of a media outlet is not subject to any prior authorization’ and that ‘press activity is a fundamental freedom.’ It had already, in June 2025, suspended an order prohibiting the dissemination of so-called ‘non-compliant’ media by an administrative authority. For media professionals, the CNRM project appears as an attempt to give a legal basis to mechanisms that the High Court had expressly condemned in order to enshrine constitutional freedom of the press.”

In fact, the provisions in question, particularly those relating to sanctioning powers, are generating considerable controversy. "The text provides for the possibility of administrative closure of press outlets, immediate suspension of media outlets, blocking of content, cutting off access to platforms, as well as the instant execution of decisions," he said.

According to him, these measures could be implemented without prior judicial review and, in some cases, without formal notice. Furthermore, the president of the CNRM, appointed on a personal basis, has the power to unilaterally order the cancellation of a broadcast, the suspension of a website, or the interruption of newspaper distribution, without prior consultation with the board.

“For the CDEPS, such prerogatives exceed the framework of balanced regulation and pose a direct threat to media independence, their economic viability and, beyond that, to democratic balance. The issue is therefore not a simple corporatist dispute. It concerns all citizens, civil society organizations, political parties, religious authorities, economic actors and the academic world to prevent a democratic regression in Senegal,” he added.

Ultimately, Mamadou Ibra Kane explains, the controversy surrounding the CNRM crystallizes a broader issue. "It is a question of determining whether the modernization of media regulation can be achieved without altering the constitutional guarantees enshrined in case law and without undermining the fundamental freedom of information. It is against this standard that Senegal's capacity to preserve its democratic heritage while adapting its legal framework to contemporary changes will be judged," concludes the CDEPS.