On May 25, 2017, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Oumar Gueye, ordered the Copelit Afrique plant to stop all production after authorities had discovered that the facility discharged untreated wastewater into the ocean, according to local publication Lerel.net. The plant also failed to comply with “any of the technical, environmental and health standards that it had agreed to follow to the letter in order to obtain its approval,” according to local publication Lerel.net.¹ Despite the injunction, the plant continued operating.

On May 27, 2017, two days after the injunction, protesters had gathered outside of the plant to voice their frustration with the plant’s foul odor. “Today, whether you are a resident of Nianing, Warang, Guignabougou and so on, everyone is bothered by this nauseating smell. It is poison for the population,” Mbaye Seck, a Mballing resident, said in an interview with EnQuete+. These protests started peacefully, but they became violent when factory workers began throwing stones at demonstrators. A demonstrator and a law enforcement officer were injured.² Hours after the protest, there was an explosion at the plant. The cause, according to local media, was an overheated boiler. Two workers were killed and more than 15 other people were injured.³

In May 2024, president of Mballing’s Local Artisanal Fishing Council, Assane Sène, detailed his community’s opposition to Copelit Afrique in an interview with Outlaw Ocean staff. “We fought the factory because it caused maritime pollution,” Sène explained, claiming that Copelit Afrique dumped its wastewater in the ocean only 100 meters, or about 328 feet, from shore. Sène also said that the air pollution from Copelit Afrique’s factory caused illness among inhabitants in surrounding towns and that children in particular “suffer enormously” from asthma as a result of the pollution. Working conditions at the plant were also dangerous, according to Sène, who claimed that employees were not adequately protected with gear to prevent inhalation of the pollution.⁴ Penda Seck, a 52-year-old resident of Mballing, shared similar sentiments as Sène in another interview. “We did not dare open the windows because of the smell of the factory,” explained Seck.⁵

Seynabou Sène, a former accountant at Copelit Afrique’s factory in Mballing, defended the company. She told Outlaw Ocean staff in May 2024 that the plant processed sardinella into fishmeal and oil intended to be used in cosmetics and poultry feed. Seynabou said that plant employees were free to film at the facility and speak to journalists, and that the plant sourced fish via trucks from Joal, Mbour, and Saint Louis, selling products both locally and in exports to Europe. Seynabou denied that the factory’s presence caused fish scarcity but acknowledged competitive pricing affecting local processors. She also praised the facility’s director for his management and job creation in the community.⁶

Copelit Afrique did not respond to a request for comment.⁷