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Marrakech – Morocco’s embassy in Senegal moved swiftly to deny reports that Ambassador Hassan Naciri was barred from accessing the Hassan II Grand Mosque in Dakar during Eid Al Fitr prayers on March 21.
A video circulating on social media showed Naciri momentarily held back by security agents at the mosque’s entrance. Several media outlets and internet users interpreted the scene as a diplomatic incident. The embassy issued a clear denial on X, stating that Naciri was never prevented from attending the prayer and that he led the diplomatic corps delegation present at the mosque.
The clarification was reinforced by Pape Alé Niang, director general of Senegalese state broadcaster RTS, who published a formal denial. The embassy subsequently shared Niang’s statement on its social media accounts, warning against fake news and countering growing speculation.
M. Pape Alé Niang est le DG de la Radio Télévision Sénégalaise https://t.co/gygWft7Avr
— Le Maroc au Sénégal 🇸🇳 🇲🇦 (@MoroccoInSEN) March 21, 2026
According to multiple sources, the brief interruption was a routine security measure. The passage was temporarily reserved for Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his ministerial delegation. Once the presidential cortege passed, Naciri accessed the esplanade without issue.
The ambassador was simply caught in the usual post-prayer congestion as the president moved toward the courtyard for a press statement. The entrance in question was exclusively reserved for the president and his official delegation. The head of the Senegalese presidential protocol intervened quickly to allow Naciri through. After, the ambassador then insisted that his accompanying adviser also be permitted to join him.
Both men reached the press area and stood alongside the president. Naciri reportedly greeted President Faye twice – once after the Eid sermon and again following the press statement. He transmitted congratulations from King Mohammed VI, and the president asked the ambassador to convey his own greetings to the monarch in return.
Sources confirmed that the ambassador’s seat for the prayer had been reserved in advance. He was escorted from his vehicle to his designated spot near the minbar. Ambassadors from two other Muslim countries present at the mosque did not access the press area either, indicating that the restriction was standard protocol rather than targeted exclusion.
The incident gained traction partly because of the tense climate between Morocco and Senegal following the CAF Appeals Board’s March 17 ruling that Senegal forfeited the AFCON 2025 final, with the result recorded as 3-0 in favor of Morocco.
The decision followed Senegal’s controversial walk-off during the final on January 18 in Rabat, after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco and a Senegalese goal was disallowed. Senegal’s Football Federation rejected the ruling as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable” and confirmed it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
In the aftermath of the CAF ruling, the Moroccan embassy in Senegal urged its nationals to exercise calm and responsibility, warning against provocative remarks on social media and calling on Moroccans to preserve the spirit of brotherhood between the two West African countries.
Members of the Moroccan diaspora in Senegal reportedly expressed frustration over the mosque scene, viewing it through the lens of post-AFCON tensions. Witnesses at the scene, however, cautioned against placing the event in any political context, calling such interpretations dangerous and completely unfounded.
The episode exposes a well-documented psychological pattern. In periods of heightened emotion, people tend to seek confirmation of what they already feel rather than what actually happened. A routine security measure becomes a diplomatic affront. A brief delay becomes a political statement. The mind fills gaps in context with pre-existing frustration, and social media accelerates that process beyond correction.
