- The sudden death of Serigne Saliou Mbacke, the caliph of the fastest growing Mouride brotherhood, has plunged Senegal into a state of shock and mourning.
The fifth caliph, who is the last surviving son of the Mouride brotherhood founder [Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke], died in the holy city of Touba, 200 km east of the capital Dakar, at the age of 92. His father founded Mouridism in 1883.
Cheikh Bamba died in 1927, but Mouridism continues to grow at an alarming rate.
Until his death on Friday, Serigne Saliou, a rich and powerful religious leader with millions of followers in Senegal and beyond, offered spiritual advice to President Abdoulaye Wade. The Senegalese leader travelled to Touba to not only join thousands of mourners but also to declare three days of national mourning.
President Wade, himself a Mouride follower, said despite the death of the caliph, his government would continue to prioritise the development of Touba.
The first grandson of Cheikh Bamba, Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacke, was ordained as the new caliph of Mouridism. His predecessor was buried few hours after the news of his death was announced on Friday night.
The death of Serigne Saliou's death has continued to dominate news in both broadcast and print media. People of all religious sects and brotherhood, including the Christian community, have since been flocking Touba to pay their last respects to the venerable religious leader.
They all hailed him as a religious leader endowed with foresight, spiritual knowledge and leadership qualities and that his death was a huge loss for the entire Muslim community.
Serigne Saliou's death has come barely two months before the annual pilgrimage that attracts at least three million followers of Mouride to Touba. They day has been used to commemorate Cheikh Bamba's escape from the French colonialists.
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