Grand Magal: National police unveil traffic plan

In preparation for the 2026 Grand Magal of Touba, scheduled for August 2nd, the prefect of the Mbacké department, Khadim Hann, signed a decree regulating the circulation of motorized and horse-drawn vehicles within the department. The decree, dated July 20, 2026, will be in effect from July 31st at midnight to August 4th at midnight.

The system organizes traffic according to several access routes to the holy city. Vehicles coming from Diourbel via the RN3 will have three possible routes to reach Touba, with the possibility for some to take the ring road to the heliport.

However, it is specified that traffic on the road linking Ngabou to the Touba Fall roundabout will be prohibited for them. Within the holy city, only vehicles with a special mission order will be allowed access to the pedestrian zone; those with passes will be diverted to the Ndiéné roundabout.

For users of the Ila Touba toll highway, two options will be offered depending on the exit taken, with heavy goods vehicles remaining prohibited. Specific routes are also established for vehicles coming from Kébémer and Daroul Mouhty, Kaffrine, Linguère and Dahra Djolof, as well as Taif and Ndiouroul.

The decree also stipulates that from the afternoon of the day of Magal, vehicles leaving Touba towards the west of the country (Diourbel, Thiès, Dakar) will be able to circulate on the two lanes of Ngabou to reach the Ila Touba highway.

Within Touba itself, traffic will be prohibited in both directions on the axis between the Grand Mosque and the Khaïra police checkpoint, except for those holding mission orders or passes.

A filter will also be instituted on the day of the Magal from 6 a.m. to midnight at five major intersections: CBAO, Darou Khoudoss via Dianatou, Darou Minam via the corniche, Darou Khoudoss via the Daroul Mouhty road, and Gouye Mbind via Dahra Djolof.

Regarding parking, all vehicles are prohibited from the immediate vicinity of the Grand Mosque, an area reserved for pedestrians.

Horse-drawn vehicles, however, will not be allowed to circulate on paved roads within Touba, with a municipal decree to specify the routes that will be dedicated to them.

The decree specifies that the vehicles of the governor of Diourbel, the prefect of Mbacké, the sub-prefect of Ndame, the mayors of Mbacké and Touba mosque, as well as the vehicles of the security services, firefighters and health services equipped with a "SERVICE" mission order, are not affected by these restrictions.

Violations of the system will expose their perpetrators to the penalties provided for by the regulations in force.