At least a dozen Moroccan students were targeted in overnight attacks during the AFCON final in Senegal, community sources said, forcing much of the Moroccan student community into self-confinement after violence spilled beyond a café and into student areas.
Community sources said much of the Moroccan students and residents in Senegal, estimated at around 15,000 people, have remained confined to their homes since before the Africa Cup of Nations final, after a night of attacks and intimidation in Dakar during Sunday’s match between Morocco and Senegal.
“At least a dozen Moroccan students were targeted,” a community representative told Hespress English, describing what they called “a terrifying night” for Moroccans living in the Senegalese capital.
The most visible incident, captured on video that circulated widely online, took place at a café in Dakar frequented by Moroccan residents, where a group of students aged between 17 and their early 20s were attacked from outside with stones and threatened with bladed weapons as tensions peaked late in the match.
“They had to lock themselves inside the restrooms while the attack was ongoing,” the source said. “The police were eventually contacted. There were no physical injuries, but they were terrified.”
Footage from inside the café shows panicked students sheltering as objects hit the premises. In one widely shared clip, a student is heard praying aloud for Moroccan forward Brahim Diaz to miss a decisive penalty, saying he feared they would be killed if Morocco scored.
Groups of Senegalese youths were reported to have knocked violently on doors of homes known to be occupied by Moroccans, throwing stones at windows and attempting to force entry in what were described as intimidation attempts.
Similar incidents were reported near student residences.
“Some property was damaged, and a few people took advantage of the chaos to steal,” the source said, adding that most Moroccans had followed earlier calls to stay indoors. “That is what prevented things from becoming much worse.”
Tensions had already been rising before the final. Community sources said Moroccan students wearing national team jerseys were attacked in the streets the night before the match.
Senegalese authorities deployed security forces and issued calls for calm,” a community representative said, noting that Senegalese colleagues, professors and friends contacted Moroccan students to check on their safety.
Moroccan student and professional groups in Senegal have urged authorities to ensure protection for residents and condemned the violence, stressing that football “can never justify intimidation or attacks.”
The Moroccan Ambassador to Dakar visited the Moroccan café.
The Coalition of Moroccan Doctors in Senegal (CMMS) and the League of Moroccan Students in Senegal (LEMS) have called on Senegal’s national police and relevant authorities “to take all necessary measures to protect Moroccan citizens, condemning all acts of violence, provocation, or stigmatization, regardless of their source.”
The two groups called for calm, restraint, and responsibility on both sides, urging Moroccans and Senegalese to preserve the spirit of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence between the two peoples.
The incidents came after disorder during the final in Rabat, where Senegalese players temporarily walked off the pitch following a late VAR-awarded penalty for Morocco, prompting fans to attempt to enter the field of play, before security intervention.
At least one Moroccan stadium worker was injured during the disorder inside the stadium, with his jaw dislocated.
Moroccan authorities arrested 17 Senegalese nationals and one Algerian following the unrest inside and around the stadium.
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