In a correspondence addressed to the Minister of the Interior, the deputy Papa Tahirou Sarr challenges the government on the management of begging in Dakar, in particular that involving foreign nationals. He is concerned about a phenomenon that has become out of control, which undermines public order and national sovereignty, calling for a rigorous application of the law and firm measures.
Here is the entire correspondence!
“For the attention of the Minister of the Interior
Subject: Application of national legislation on begging and management of foreign beggar flows
The city of Dakar is today literally invaded by a disorderly and multifaceted begging, which spreads daily in the streets, on the sidewalks, with red lights, and even in front of public establishments. To this reality that has become commonplace for our fellow citizens, is added the massive presence of foreign beggars, especially from Mali, Guinea and Niger.
I remind you that begging is strictly framed by Senegalese law. Indeed. Article 245 of the Criminal Code prohibits begging on the public highway, except in exceptional cases as on an exclusively religious basis, provided that it is practiced in determined places, under control, and that it does not give rise to any abuse. However, in fact. This regulation is openly flouted and the Senegalese public space has become a theater of human exploitation and permanent social disorder.
This phenomenon is all the more worrying that the Nigerian authorities, for their part, have taken firm measures prohibiting their citizens from begging in the capital Niamey. Operations are regularly organized to identify them, remove them from the streets and repatriate them to their original localities.
Meanwhile, in Senegal, these memes of Nigerian nationals, often accompanied by women and children, cross our borders without difficulty, settle in the street in Dakar, live in conditions of great precariousness, expose their children to danger and help to strengthen the image of an absent state, unable to enforce its own territorial and legal sovereignty.
Minister, this situation is unacceptable, both from the point of view of public order and that of national dignity. It undermines the image of our country and fueling a feeling of helplessness of the institutions in the face of a phenomenon which is first of all political will.
From then on, I ask you the following questions:
-Why are the clear provisions of the penal code prohibiting begging on the public roads not applied, even though the offenders operate with an discovered, daily, and with impunity in the streets of Dakar?
-What measures does the government intend to take to effectively control the conditions of entry and stay of foreign nationals practicing begging in our country, particularly those coming from Niger, whose state nevertheless prohibits this practice on its own national territory?
-Is there a national strategy to combat imported and organized begging, and if so, what are the modalities of concrete application?
Does the ministry intend to implement a policy of identification, of Ontrôle and, if necessary, to renew the borders of the foreign beggars El ITUATION IUME or in manifest violation of our laws
Pending your response, please accept, Minister, the expression of my high consideration.
