Seizure of 50 tons of corn in Bakel: UNACOIS/Yeesal cries foul and denounces a sham auction

A case of seizure and liquidation of goods is causing significant tension in the Bakel department. The 50 tons of corn belonging to merchant Aliou Camara, seized on September 12, 2026, by the local hygiene sub-brigade under the pretext that it was unfit for human consumption, were sold under conditions that the employers' organization considers particularly suspicious. Faced with the numerous unanswered questions surrounding this procedure, the merchants are directly appealing to the highest authorities for a full investigation.

During a press briefing held by the departmental section of UNACOIS/Yeesal in Bakel, its general secretary, Daouda Ndiaye, brandished an official document attesting that the corn in question had a phytosanitary certificate in due form, issued on September 9, 2026, just three days before the intervention of the hygiene agents.

Following the inspection, the head of the Hygiene Sub-Brigade appealed to the President of the Bakel District Court, pursuant to Article L.45 of Law No. 83-71 concerning the Hygiene Code. By order No. 342, the court ordered the confiscation of the 50 tons for the benefit of the hygiene department, specifying that the proceeds from the sale were to be directly paid into the Public Treasury. The professional organization, however, questions the actual legal basis for this confiscation and the circumstances under which the economic operator's property rights were knowingly disregarded.

Beyond the confiscation, the aggrieved merchant was asked to pay, and subsequently paid, 750,000 CFA francs at the Bakel Hygiene Sub-Brigade office, a payment for which receipts were issued. UNACOIS/Yeesal demands an explanation regarding the legal basis of this levy and calls for its immediate reimbursement if this payment is not based on any legal text.

The conditions of the auction are causing just as much confusion. While a press release from the Tambacounda Land Registry announced the public auction of corn for October 29, 2026, the employers' association claims to have received the notice only on the night of October 28, just hours before the deadline. Furthermore, the document remained very vague regarding the location, mentioning the municipality of Bakel without specifying the exact time or place.

On the day of the event, representatives of the organization visited the merchandise storage depot but found no sign of any public sale. Directed to the hygiene department offices, they were met with statements from an agent who claimed to have no knowledge of any auction taking place on the premises.

These contradictions are compounded by the allocation of the entire 50-ton stock to a single buyer. UNACOIS/Yeesal demands the official publication of this buyer's identity and the conditions of their selection, asking who informed them of the sale procedures, how many bidders were present, and where the transaction actually took place. Financially, the loss appears all the more significant given that the owner purchased the lot for 10,000,000 CFA francs, while the sales receipt presented indicates a final sale price of only 2,575,000 CFA francs.

Faced with what it calls a major administrative anomaly, the UNACOIS/Yeesal departmental branch in Bakel is demanding the immediate opening of an administrative and judicial inquiry, the release of all seizure and auction reports, justification for the 750,000 CFA francs received, and the urgent suspension of the corn delivery to the buyer pending the results of the investigations. The traders reiterate that they are not seeking any special privileges but are demanding the strict application of the law and the protection of economic operators against institutional abuses.