A Senegalese television news commentator has been arrested in Dakar and accused of spreading false information, sparking renewed concern over press freedom in the country.

Modou Fall, a commentator with the privately owned Sen TV, was arrested on February 11, 2026, following remarks he made during a programme aired the previous day.

In the broadcast, Fall alleged that government officials had recruited students to falsely accuse opposition figures of orchestrating demonstrations at Dakar’s main university.

The comments came amid heightened tensions after a student died during clashes with police, who stormed the university campus following days of protests over proposed reforms to the student scholarship system and demands for the payment of arrears.

During the programme, Fall claimed authorities were attempting to shift blame for the student’s death onto the opposition, alleging that students loyal to the government were paid to record videos implicating opposition leader Bougane Guèye Dany and others.

Fall was questioned by security services before being transferred to a Dakar court prosecutor. He has since been remanded in custody and is expected to stand trial on February 16 on charges of spreading false news, according to colleagues at Sen TV.

The arrest has drawn criticism from press freedom advocates. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for Fall’s immediate release and the dropping of all charges, arguing that his detention contradicts President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye’s pledge to replace prison sentences for press offences with fines.

“Senegalese authorities continue to criminalise news commentary despite promises of reform,” said CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative, Moussa Ngom.

In a related development, journalist Falil Gadio of online outlet Senegal 7 was acquitted on February 11 of charges linked to incitement to violence.

Gadio had been arrested earlier this month after his channel aired an interview with a trader making inflammatory remarks during a report on the eviction of an unauthorised market.

The Senegalese presidency has not commented publicly on Fall’s arrest.