Members of the Seck family from Thiénaba appeared this Friday, May 8, before the Thiès court of summary jurisdiction. MH. Seck, T. Seck, S. Seck, O. Seck, H. Seck, M. Seck and B. Seck are being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly and destruction of fences belonging to others, in the context of a land dispute between several members of the same locality.

In court, the plaintiff, G. Seck, explained that he had legally acquired his land through a deed issued by the town hall. According to him, the difficulties began when he started construction work. "When I started making bricks for the construction, they came and stopped me," he stated.

Mr. Seck gives the same version, claiming that he was prevented from building on his plot by the defendants.

For his part, Mr. Dieng maintained that his building was destroyed by unidentified individuals. He stated, however, that he had previously received threats from Mr. Seck. He said, "He threatened to destroy my building to prevent me from building on my land." Mr. Dieng claims to have suffered the same fate.

Faced with the accusations, the defendants unanimously denied any involvement in the destruction of the plaintiffs' buildings. They did, however, state that they had been the first to submit requests to the town hall for the allocation of these plots of land, without receiving a favorable response.

The defendant, MH. Seck, stated that the land belonged to his father, SM Seck, who farmed it. He nevertheless admitted to possessing no official documents proving ownership of the plots. The other defendants also lacked any official documents.

Speaking at the hearing, the public prosecutor reminded everyone that Thiénaba is part of the national domain and cannot be inherited without a legal title. "This is not land that one inherits. One cannot claim ownership of land without holding an official document," the prosecutor emphasized.

Believing that the defendants are guilty of acts which are likely to disturb public order, the prosecutor requested a six-month prison sentence for them.

The court acquitted the defendants of charges of criminal conspiracy, destruction of buildings, and illegal occupation of land. However, it found them guilty of unlawful assembly and sentenced them to one month in prison.