Senegal: release of rapper Kilifeu, member of the “Y’en a marre” movement

Published on : 12/21/2021 – 4:46 PMModified : 12/21/2021 – 4:53 PM

He is one of the leading figures of the protest movement “Y’en a marre” in Senegal. Rapper Kilifeu, indicted for criminal conspiracy, attempted migrant smuggling and corruption, was released Tuesday, December 21, and placed under judicial supervision, announced one of his lawyers. He had been in pre-trial detention since September 15.

Landing Bessane Seck, known as Kilifeu, has benefited from a measure of “provisional release”, Me Ciré Clédor Ly told AFP. The judge “placed him under judicial control and he must appear (in court) every month,” he added.

A demonstration called for by the “Y’en a marre” movement took place in Dakar on Friday to demand the release of Kilifeu, arrested on September 15 with another rapper and member of the same citizen organization, Simon Kouka.

The latter, prosecuted in the same case as Kilifeu, was released on bail and placed under judicial supervision on November 16, after, according to the press, health problems in prison.

A case of visa trafficking

On September 15, an examining magistrate charged the two men with, among other things, criminal conspiracy and attempted migrant smuggling, and placed them in pre-trial detention.

In particular accused of having facilitated, for a fee, the obtaining of visas, Kilifeu is also charged with “attempted forgery in an administrative document” and “corruption”.

Simon Kouka, suspected of having rented his French passport, is also charged with “complicity in the use of forgery”.

In August, a video showing Kilifeu receiving a sum of money to obtain a visa was posted on a website.

The two rappers are founding members of the “Y’en a marre” movement, which aims to encourage citizens to vote and which campaigns for the renewal of the political class and the fight against corruption.

“Y’en a marre” actively participated in the political protest, mixed with social and economic exasperation aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which rocked Senegal in March.

>> Coronavirus in Senegal: The rap collective “Y en a marre” does prevention

With AFP