Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has played down recent tensions between Senegal and Morocco, saying bilateral relations are “stronger than emotion” following heated scenes during the Africa Cup of Nations final.
The 18 January final, in which Senegal defeated Morocco 1–0 on home soil, was disrupted after Senegalese players protested a late penalty awarded to Morocco, and threaten to abandon the game. The match was suspended for nearly 20 minutes before resuming.
Speaking in Rabat during a joint Senegal–Morocco Commission meeting on Monday, Sonko said his visit was intended not to ease tensions but to reaffirm the enduring partnership between the two countries.
He described the incidents during the match as emotional reactions driven by passion rather than political or cultural divisions. Morocco and Senegal maintain close cooperation in areas such as tourism, energy, infrastructure and transport, alongside strong religious and cultural ties. Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch echoed Sonko’s remarks, stressing that relations between the two nations rest on a “solid foundation.”
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had earlier expressed confidence in African unity after what he described as “unfortunate incidents” and “deeply deplorable behavior occurred” during the final.
Meanwhile, 18 Senegalese supporters remain in pre-trial detention in Morocco over alleged unrest and hooliganism linked to the match. According to Morocco’s High Commission for Planning, Senegalese nationals constitute 18% of the foreign population in Morocco, where 60% of migrants come from sub-Saharan Africa as of 2024.