[5] Bara Mbacké succeeded Serigne Saliou Mbacke as Shaykh who was credited for his transformation of the village of Touba into Senegal's second largest city,[6] and for the enormous growth in popular devotion and political power of the brotherhood both throughout West Africa and (through the diaspora) the world.
He was reported to have been trained by his father while caliph (1945–1968), and was said to speak a number of languages, including Arabic, French and English.
Bara Mbacké's successor as Grand Marabout was his cousin, Cheikh Maty Leye Mbacke.
[2] President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade took a helicopter ride from Dakar to Touba to swear allegiance to the new leader.
[4] Senegalese Prime Minister Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye announced his death on state radio that morning.