In Dieuppeul, insecurity doesn't just stem from poorly lit streets or traffic accidents. It sometimes reaches the very doorsteps of homes, fueled by impunity, unregulated construction sites, and the silence of institutions meant to protect citizens.

Journalist Dié Maty Fall, a resident of the neighborhood, has decided to break her silence. In a letter addressed to the Directorate of Public Security (DSP) at the Dieuppeul police station and to the Association of Journalists of Senegal (AJS), she denounces a series of serious incidents involving verbal and physical assaults, attacks on dignity, intimidation of witnesses, and suspicions of undue protection.

An attack in full view of law enforcement

The most recent incident occurred at a neighboring construction site, following an accident involving a construction truck. While the DSCOS (Department of Construction and Urban Planning) and the gendarmerie were present at the scene, the site owner allegedly took advantage of a moment of inattention from law enforcement to verbally assault the complainant and spit on her, according to her testimony.

Alerted by the victim's cries, the police officers reportedly turned around to intervene. A humiliating episode, experienced as a profound attack on human dignity, and which, according to the victim, is just the latest in a long series of incidents.

According to Dié Maty Fall, this neighbor, identified as Simon Mancabou, has been engaging in violent and abusive behavior for years. Each time construction begins on his rental property, rubble and debris are allegedly dumped in the plaintiff's yard and immediate surroundings without authorization or respect for basic neighborhood rules.

Despite several approaches to the Dieuppeul police station, no lasting solution seems to have been found.

Intimidated witnesses, imposed silences

Another worrying fact: the difficulty, or even the impossibility, of getting testimonies from people who were present during the incidents.

A laborer named Diop reportedly refused to speak to the police, admitting he acted out of fear. Another neighbor, Mrs. Sy, was allegedly dissuaded by her husband from coming forward as a witness, on the grounds that the assailant was a childhood friend.

These factors reinforce the victim's sense of isolation and raise the question of social pressure and the code of silence in certain neighborhoods.

Even more serious, the complainant alleges a possible circumvention of the justice system. To avoid the arrest of his son, the alleged perpetrator of a previous physical assault, the father reportedly helped him leave the country for Canada.

A previous incident involving a police officer named Amoulyakar Diouf is also cited. According to the journalist's account, the son allegedly taunted the officer from a balcony for a long time, symbolically displaying his father's customs officer's cap to suggest a supposed immunity. He was only arrested after prolonged provocation.

Illegal construction sites and out-of-control trucks

Beyond the personal case, Dié Maty Fall warns of a wider phenomenon: the increase in accidents involving sand or concrete trucks, causing significant material damage, and the existence of undeclared clandestine construction sites operating with complete impunity.

A direct appeal has been made to the DSCOS for urgent intervention.

Describing herself as "dirty, humiliated and unsafe", the complainant announces that she has filed a complaint against Simon Mancabou and plans to officially contact the AJS to denounce what she considers to be an aggravated breach of trust due to institutional complicity and silence.

Beyond her own case, she says she wants to defend all the women in the neighborhood who are victims of violence, intimidation and contempt.

This testimony raises many questions which the competent authorities are now being called upon to answer in the interest of justice, public safety and social peace.