DAKAR, Senegal — Serigne Saliou Mbacke, 92, Senegal’s spiritual leader whose image was ever-present in the homes of his millions of followers, died Friday and was buried Saturday.
Four million people — nearly a third of the West African country’s population — were expected to make a pilgrimage to Mbacke’s grave over the weekend, said national police chief Assane Ndoye.
Mbacke was the leader of the Mourides, the most powerful Muslim brotherhood in Senegal.
Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade called for a three-day national period of mourning, with flags flown at half-staff.
Although Senegal is a secular country, the majority of its democratically elected rulers have had to seek the endorsement of Mbacke. His image is always on the dashboards of bush taxis and in the homes of his millions of followers.
Among Mbacke’s achievements was the transformation of the holy center of Touba from a rural outpost into a city of 1 million. Touba was founded by Mbacke’s father, who died in 1927, and has often been described as a state within a state. Inside the city limits, visitors cannot drink, smoke or dance.
