In the aftermath of the nomination of the new Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye (BDF), Tuesday April 2 in Dakar, it is interesting to take stock of the initiatives and information issues that marked the ballot. Following the postponement of the elections - which had led to violent demonstrations - and the various internet cuts, the transparency of the election had been the subject of increased vigilance as well as the potential manipulations of information. The disinformation which consists in part in "influencing and harming the adversary" was therefore closely scrutinized by certain media and local organizations. Several candidates have thus been discredited through invented scandals or information manipulated with the aim of influencing voter decisions, the results of the votes.

In 2019, Senegal had already faced this situation as the elections approached. Deprived of information, the inhabitants were at the mercy of those who held them ... or invented them. Premises, organizations and the media have joined forces to combat the growing propagation of disinformation for the presidential elections.

Fact-checking, a means of combating disinformation

During these elections, Africa Check unveiled some methods of : Targeting information having an impact on daily life, collection of evidence, verification with reliable sources, request for expert advice. The organization has emphasized the declarations of candidates, public order publications and the explanation of the operation of votes such as tutorials. As the ballot approaches, the threat of disinformation was more present than ever. It could be used by everyone, including candidates. However, the fierce fight and work of several journalists and NGOs have increased the chances of being more surely towards transparent elections.
The editor -in -chief of Africa Check in Senegal, Valdez Onanina, had also warned against the false information: "In case of doubt, do not share".

#Saytusen2024 A successful initiative

On November 1, 2023, the alliance of verification of the facts #Saytsen2024 was born in anticipation of the presidential election 2024. Initiated by Africa Check, it agrees a set of media: investigation+, the Maison des Reporters, Ouestaf News, Sétanal Média, the E-JICOM Institute and the Divan Citizen and Senegal Platforms. Long before the first round of March 24, the alliance's "X" account had already noted a certain number of false information related to the elections: one of media false, false campaign images, false surveys, false declarations of influential personalities, false political rallying, etc.

During the presidential campaign, the alliance of verification of the facts #saytsen2024 initiated by Africa Check tracked the many Fake News. On the X account of the Alliance, several false surveys on the list of candidates in mind were in particular denied, as well as the false one. Fact-Checking articles restoring real information has also been posted on the sites of the different media component #saytsen2024 .