Koumpentoum : Préfet contre PASTEF, chronique d’une tempête institutionnelle et politique
What was supposed to be a minor protocol incident at the Pencum Niani festival in Koumpentoum has revealed a deep rift between the local administration and elected officials from the PASTEF party. Amid accusations of activism and calls for adherence to republican principles, the dispute between the prefect and MPs Moussa Mbaye and Awa Sow is part of a series of similar incidents that raise questions about the state's neutrality in the department.
For local observers, this clash is just the tip of the iceberg. PASTEF MPs and local party officials denounce the administrative authorities' "partisan" stance since the change of government. Several grievances are put forward to illustrate what they describe as an "authoritarian drift."
The incident erupted in front of a stunned official stand when the prefect demanded that MPs Moussa Mbaye and Awa Sow stand upon her arrival or leave the premises. While the authority cited respect for state symbols and decree no. 99-252 governing precedence, former MP Mame Diarra Fam vehemently denounced this "presumption," reminding everyone that MPs derive their legitimacy from direct universal suffrage. Supporters of the parliamentarians viewed this act of expulsion as a serious affront to the dignity of the people's representatives.
Violation of regulations in Payar: the Health Committee at the center of the dispute*
In accordance with the decree establishing the Standard Statutes for Health Development Committees (CDS), Article 29 stipulates that members of the Executive Secretariat must be literate to ensure transparent management. However, in Payar, this provision appears to have been violated.
"While an initial, regular committee had been established by the sub-prefect, a second committee was allegedly set up by the deputy prefect, acting on the prefect's orders, to benefit an individual who did not meet the literacy requirements," accuse members of PASTEF in the area. This decision, favoring a close associate of the mayor (an elected official from the APR party), is denounced as "a flagrant violation of administrative legality and a disregard for the rules of good governance."
Mamadou Aliou Diallo's heartfelt cry
Mamadou Aliou Diallo, coordinator of the JPS in Koumpentoum, denounces a "biased" process during the general assembly of February 27, 2025. He points to the access ban imposed on associations that were nonetheless validly recognized, such as "Xaley Niani." He also condemns the use of non-compliant proxies, lacking legalization or official stamps, as well as the mayor's arbitrary appointment of municipal council representatives, in violation of Article 6 of the CDS decree. According to him, "it is this breach of trust, this abuse of power, and these blatant irregularities" that led to his arrest by the territorial gendarmerie.
During the April 4th celebrations, elected officials from the majority party denounced a deliberate exclusion in favor of mayors affiliated with the opposition. Both in the preparatory meetings and in the protocol, the members of parliament claimed to have been rendered invisible, seeing it as a political manipulation of an event meant to embody national unity.
Two years after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye came to power, a sense of continuity with the old regime prevails among local activists. "Patronage remains intact," and PASTEF activists say they are "systematically excluded from state programs."
"The most striking example concerns the Solidarity Productive Cooperatives (CPS). Launched by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, this project is causing bitterness because, to date, no association has been validated by the prefectural authority in Koumpentoum, thus blocking the start of economic activities due to a lack of legal acts," they criticize.
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