Thousands expected to visit the city of Touba during mourning ceremonies

Over the next several days tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to the city of Touba, located in central Senegal, approximately 124 mi/200 km from Dakar, the capital, to take part in mourning ceremonies for the death of a prominent Mouride religious leader on 30 June. The Mourides are an influential -- and the largest -- of the Muslim brotherhoods in Senegal. Their influence and power ranges across political, religious and social spheres. According to Mouride tradition, eight days of mourning will follow the burial, with thousands of people expected to converge outside the leader’s mausoleum to pray and pay their respects.