Senegal tightens foreigner checks amid growing suspicion

The Senegalese capital, Dakar, is witnessing a sharp increase in police checks targeting foreigners, with 490 people questioned and 36 referred to prosecutors for irregular stay within just eight days. These operations, framed as routine administrative verifications, have sparked concern among civil society groups and foreign residents, who see them as part of a worrying trend of rising suspicion toward non-citizens.

Take the case of Amadou Bangoura, a 30-year-old Beninese student who has lived in Senegal for five years while pursuing his higher education. One evening, as he left a gym in the Liberté 6 district around 10 PM, a police patrol stopped him and demanded identification. Caught off guard, he admitted he didn’t have his papers on him, explaining, “My documents are at home.”

For Bangoura, who had never faced such a situation in five years, the experience was deeply unsettling. Thoughts raced through his mind: deportation, imprisonment, court appearances. The officers, however, decided to verify his claims and escorted him to his residence, where he presented his passport and proof of legal residency—everything was in order. The incident concluded without further consequences.

Bangoura’s case is far from unique. Over recent weeks, administrative checks targeting foreigners have intensified across Dakar and its outskirts, officially justified as part of efforts to bolster public and property safety. Between June 30 and July 8, officers from the Direction de la Police des Étrangers et des Titres de Voyage (DPETV) conducted sweeping verifications in multiple neighborhoods. According to reports, nearly 490 foreigners of various nationalities were questioned during this period, with 36 facing legal action for irregular stay.

Civil society raises the alarm

These measures have drawn sharp criticism. On July 13, a coalition of organizations including Legs Africa, Frapp, Nawle, Afrikajom Center, and Diwan Citoyen issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over what they describe as the growing normalization of administrative restrictions targeting foreign residents and visitors in Senegal.

The groups acknowledged that every state holds the sovereign right to regulate borders, entry, and residency, as well as to combat irregular migration. However, they cautioned against conflating sovereignty with arbitrary measures. “What is troubling today is not the existence of migration policy itself, but the creeping normalization of a climate of perpetual suspicion toward foreigners,” they stated. They warned that this shift risks reducing foreigners not to people with rights, but to perceived administrative liabilities—transforming even legally compliant stays into bureaucratic ordeals.

balancing security and hospitality

Elimane Kane, president of Legs Africa, emphasized that security operations should not be framed as a contradiction between safety and hospitality—values long associated with Senegal. While he acknowledged the state’s duty to control borders and identify individuals entering the country, he cautioned against interpreting these checks as a rejection of foreigners.

“Security does not exclude otherness,” Kane insists, calling for better coordination among security forces to prevent these operations from being perceived as persecution rather than legitimate administrative measures. He also highlighted the realities of global labor mobility, noting that just as Senegalese citizens work abroad, foreigners have the right to come to Senegal to work. The solution, he argues, lies not in blaming migrants but in creating opportunities for young Senegalese to access available jobs.