Senegal Justice Minister Me Sarr Visits Overcrowded Rebeuss Prison

On the evening of Monday, 3 August 2026, Senegal’s Justice Minister and Garde des Sceaux, Me Moussa Sarr, made a surprise night inspection of the Rebeuss detention centre. Arriving around 21:00, he and a senior delegation – including the minister’s cabinet director, the director of criminal affairs and grants, the prosecutor general near the Dakar Court of Appeal, deans of judges from several tribunals, the director‑general of the prison administration and a technical adviser – inspected cells 3, 4, 9, 10, 14 and 43, which are reported as the most overcrowded.

The visit aimed to assess detention conditions first‑hand, with particular focus on the issue of “paquetage” (contraband) that has long troubled Senegalese prisons. Officials said the inspection is part of an ongoing effort to monitor and improve inmate living standards while maintaining security, continuing reforms intended to humanise the country’s penal system.