Senegal requests royal pardon for football fans jailed in Morocco

Senegal is seeking a royal pardon from Morocco for 15 football supporters jailed over violence at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, RFI reported on 20 April, as both countries move to ease tensions following the incident.

Fifteen Senegalese supporters remain in detention in Rabat, where they are serving prison terms of between six months and one year that were upheld on appeal.

Three other supporters were released on 18 April after completing three-month sentences, according to earlier reports by Africanews.

Two separate requests for a royal pardon are expected to be submitted to the Moroccan royal cabinet this week, one by the supporters’ legal team and another by Senegal’s National Human Rights Commission, in a process aimed at securing the early release of those still detained.

The requests are expected to be reviewed by the royal authorities once formally submitted.

The three released supporters are undergoing psychological support before returning to Dakar, in a process requested by their lawyers and approved by the Senegalese Football Federation and government authorities.

Defence lawyer Patrick Kabou said the prosecutions were unjustified and that the remaining detainees supported the pardon request. He added that they did not consider themselves to be in conflict with Morocco and said the case should now be resolved.

 The supporters were convicted on charges including violence against Moroccan security forces, damage to sports facilities, pitch invasion and throwing projectiles during the AFCON final in Rabat on 18 January, following clashes in the stands and on the pitch

Senegal’s Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang described the case on 17 April as a “painful” moment for relations between Dakar and Rabat and said efforts would be intensified to resolve it through diplomatic channels.

The defence submission is expected to argue that the case lacked sufficient evidence and to emphasise the close ties between Senegal and Morocco, as the two countries look to move past the dispute.

RFI, Africanews, Maghrebi.org