AFCON Melee: 18 Detained Senegalese Fans Begin Hunger Strike In Morocco

Eighteen Senegalese football supporters detained in Morocco following January’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final melee have embarked on a hunger strike to protest their continued detention and demand due process.

Their lawyer, Patrick Kabou, confirmed the development to AFP on Friday, saying the fans have been held since January 18 without clear information about the charges against them.

“My clients told me they have been waiting to learn the charges against them since January 18,” Kabou said. “They feel they are being denied their right to justice.”

The supporters were arrested in Rabat after the tense AFCON final in which Senegal defeated Morocco. The match was marred by chaos in the stands and on the pitch.

According to reports, some Senegalese fans attempted to invade the field minutes before the final whistle, while others were seen throwing objects, including a chair, after a controversial late penalty awarded to Morocco. The incident caused Senegal’s players to halt play for nearly 20 minutes in protest.

Kabou said the detained supporters had also complained about language barriers during police interrogation, claiming officers questioned them in French and Arabic, languages they do not understand.

“They only speak Wolof, yet all questioning was done in French and Arabic,” the lawyer noted.

The detainees have vowed to continue their hunger strike “until Moroccan justice gives us the chance to be heard,”Kabou added.

A first hearing in their case, held in late January, was adjourned by the presiding judge, while a second hearing scheduled for Thursday was also postponed due to an ongoing lawyers’ strike in Morocco.

The trial is now expected to resume next week.