Will Senegal PM’s visit to Morocco heal wounds caused in AFCON final?

RABAT – Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko is scheduled to arrive in Rabat Monday for a high-stakes three-day official visit, a few days after fans from his country were detained in incidents there at the Africa Cup of Nations football final.

While the trip centers on the 15th session of the Moroccan-Senegalese High Joint Partnership Commission, the mission has taken on a sudden urgency following a weekend of footballing triumph overshadowed by a diplomatic and security crisis.

The visit comes exactly one week after Senegal’s football team secured their second continental title in a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against hosts Morocco. 

While the streets of Dakar remain in a state of celebration, a darker narrative has emerged from the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where 18 Senegalese fans currently remain in Moroccan custody.

The "Rabat incident": From pitch to prison

The final, which saw Senegal win 1-0 in extra time, was marred by scenes of "hooliganism" by Senegalese fans and a 20-minute standoff.

Moroccan authorities detained 18 Senegalese nationals and one Algerian national. They are accused of attempting to storm the pitch and throwing objects including a stadium chair with which they hit stewards - following a controversial late penalty awarded to Morocco.

While Senegal celebrated its trophy, these supporters were placed in pretrial detention. Their trial opened last Thursday but was adjourned until January 29 to allow defense teams more time to prepare.

A centuries-old alliance under pressure

Sonko’s primary goal is to prevent a sporting rivalry from fracturing one of Africa’s most stable bilateral relationships. Senegal and Morocco share deep historical, spiritual, and economic ties, with Morocco currently serving as Senegal’s top African trade supplier.

The rhetoric leading up to the visit has been carefully calibrated. King Mohammed VI issued a palace statement on Thursday, emphasizing that "African fraternity will naturally prevail" over "deplorable acts" on the pitch. Similarly, Sonko’s team has signaled that the visit is intended to "reiterate that ties extend far beyond the pitch."

However, Sonko faces domestic pressure in Dakar. Families of the detained supporters have called for a "diplomacy of dignity," urging the Prime Minister not to leave Rabat without a concrete agreement for the release or repatriation of the fans.

As Sonko lands on Monday, he will be walking a tightrope: celebrating a historic victory while managing the legal and emotional fallout of a match that the world is calling the "weirdest final in football history."