Seyllou Sandaga, one of Dakar's main trading centres, drew people from around the West African region — AFP pic
Under the watchful eyes of city and state authorities, three heavy diggers on Sunday evening began to destroy dozens of makeshift shops that had proliferated at the foot of the hall.The machines threw up thick clouds of dust while they smashed market stalls and tipped loads of rubble, beams and corrugated iron into dump trucks.
Shopkeepers voiced opposition over the relocation last month, telling the government that they would lose customers at the new site far from Sandaga, a curiosity for tourists which drew large crowds.An iconic establishment lying between the old French colonial quarter and more working-class districts, Sandaga has been one of Dakar’s main trading centres for almost a century.
“Sandaga cannot continue in its current state of insecurity, the irregular occupation of the public highway and insanitary conditions,” said Minister of Urban Affairs Abdou Karim Fofana, who attended the demolitionday.