Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed on Thursday June 20, 2024 in Paris his commitment to supporting the campaign initiated by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, aimed at promoting vaccine sovereignty on the African continent. During this meeting, he declared that “supporting the financing of GAVI also means investing strategically and at a more sustained pace in the protection of our children, current and future generations”. He added that he will “engaged in this campaign for GAVI” and invited others to join him.
However, this commitment has raised concerns, notably from Dr Babacar Niang. He expressed reservations about Senegal’s involvement in GAVI initiatives, recalling a worrying incident linked to a vaccine against hepatitis B developed by a University of Tours. Dr Niang stressed that “a professor came to Senegal to do tests on Senegalese people, guinea pigs. The discussion was that at the sale, Senegal would get it at half price. Once back in Europe, pharmacovigilance revealed that those vaccinated had serious illnesses, multiple sclerosis.” He warned against President Faye’s invitation, calling it ” trap “. According to him, the money given for vaccination “is not trivial” and has hidden implications, emphasizing that what they are going to ask him is, “in coded terms, if the Senegalese can be guinea pigs”.
Organizers announced that more than a billion dollars were pledged on Thursday June 20, 2024 to the global immunization summit, organized by the French government in partnership with the African Union and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, to accelerate the production of vaccines in Africa, affected by a cholera epidemic. However, Dr Niang suggested the money could be used for undeclared purposes, calling into question the sincerity of donors. He expressed doubts that a company could invest so much money “for the beautiful eyes of a country”.
Dr Niang also said he warned President Faye before his departure and upon his return. He questioned the logic behind such investment in vaccination, noting that these companies “have never come to Senegal to see Senegalese experts in these fields, from universities, and give them money so that they can invest in automobiles”. He added that he did not know what the president had signed, but suspected that he had been led to believe that Senegal would manufacture drugs and test them first in Senegal before making them available elsewhere.
In March 2023, in the midst of political unrest in Senegal, Dr Babacar Niang became known to the general public in connection with the arrest of Ousmane Sonko, then an opponent and today Prime Minister of Senegal. Emergency physician and chief physician of Suma Assistance, Dr. Niang was summoned to the office of the Dean of Judges, charged by Maham Diallo and placed under judicial supervision. According to his lawyer at the time, Me Khoureyssi Ba, Dr Niang was charged with failure to assist a person in danger and involuntary manslaughter, and was finally placed under judicial supervision after refusing house arrest under electronic surveillance. Dr Niang was a strong supporter of Ousmane Sonko, whom he welcomed to his Suma Assistance clinic after Sonko inhaled tear gas, requiring hospitalization.
