Year: 2022
Runtime: 84 min
Language: French
Director: Jean Luc Herbulot
After fleeing a coup, a group of legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas seek refuge at a remote seaside retreat. As they attempt to lay low, old tensions resurface, complicated by the presence of a mysterious mute woman named Awa and the dark secrets of their leader, Chaka. The fragile peace is shattered when their past catches up to them, unleashing a wave of violence that threatens everyone's survival and forces them to confront their inner demons.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Saloum (2022), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
The Hyenas of Bangui follows a trio of elite African mercenaries—Chaka, Rafa, and Minuit—who are enlisted to extract the notorious Mexican drug lord Felix from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, amidst the chaos of a coup d’état in 2003. Their mission promises a hefty reward: a briefcase filled with gold. However, their plans take a dark turn when sabotage leads to a leak in their airplane, forcing an emergency landing in a secluded area of Senegal’s Sine-Saloum region.
In search of a safe haven from the authorities and resources to repair their damaged aircraft, Chaka, who hails from Sine-Saloum, guides his crew and Felix to an isolated retreat called the Baobab. He asserts familiarity with the resort and its proprietor, Omar. Unfortunately, the group’s ruse of posing as gold miners unravels upon their introduction to Omar’s loyal assistant, Salamane, and the other guests, including the talented Younce, Sephora, and the enigmatic Awa, a deaf and mute woman. Tensions escalate quickly, particularly when Awa discreetly signals to the Hyenas that she recognizes their true identities, demanding to join them, and when the unexpected arrival of Souley, a policeman from Dakar, complicates matters.
As the group dines together the following day, Souley confronts Felix, revealing knowledge of their secret identities and announcing that his team plans to storm the Baobab during the meal. In a shocking turn of events, Chaka confronts Omar, disclosing his traumatic past as a former child soldier under Omar’s command, a warlord previously known as Colonel Remington. Fueled by rage and a desire for revenge, Chaka takes Omar’s life with a revolver he once stole from him during his escape as a boy. Just when the tension peaks, it is revealed that Chaka had betrayed the team earlier that day by buying out Souley’s men using Felix’s gold.
Chaos erupts when sinister entities emerge, swiftly taking Felix’s life. As the remaining survivors seek refuge, Salamane unveils the dark truth: Omar was harboring the curse of Gana Sira Bana, threatening to unleash horrors upon the Sine-Saloum Delta. With these malevolent forces attacking primarily through sound, the survivors must cleverly isolate themselves from external noises, utilizing Awa’s deafness and the Hyenas’ expertise in sign language.
In an act of forgiveness, Rafa and Chaka, accompanied by Souley and Salamane, embark on a journey to a nearby village inhabited by the Sira Bana-worshiping Diola people, seeking methods to shield themselves from sound and the materials necessary for their aircraft. Chaka uncovers the imprisoned children, previously exploited by Omar for his dark rituals. However, tragedy strikes when Souley is claimed by the entities, and Salamane meets a grim fate at the hands of vengeful children previously subjugated by Omar.
As Rafa and Chaka return to the Baobab, they find themselves engulfed in despair with the deaths of Younce and Sephora weighed against Minuit, who, although alive, is now lost to his spiritual affliction. Heartbroken, the two mercenaries grant him a merciful end. They escape by boat with Awa, having procured the necessary resources to repair their plane. Yet, their troubles are far from over—one of the entities, possessing Omar’s form, drags Chaka into the depths, asserting its claim over him while Rafa and Awa manage to evade their fate, separated from the malevolent swarm.
Last Updated: November 16, 2024 at 11:42
Still wondering what the ending of Saloum (2022) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
At the end of Saloum, Chaka’s quest for revenge and his complex past come to a tragic and supernatural climax. After revealing his history as Colonel Remington—the brutal figure from his childhood—and confronting Omar, the corrupt figure who made a pact with spirits to maintain his control over Saloum, Chaka kills Omar in a final act of vengeance. However, this unleashes a curse or supernatural chaos in the area, manifesting as spirits of Sira Bana, an ancient and vengeful entity rooted in local legend. These spirits are personified as shadowy forms that begin to possess and attack the villagers and travelers. As the spirits tighten their grip, the characters realize that Omar’s pact and Chaka’s revenge have awakened a curse that has haunted the region.
The film then reveals that Omar was secretly holding children hostage, using them as currency in his dealings with the spirits, and that his pact with Sira Bana was more than just a twisted agreement for power—it was a horrifying binding between his evil deeds and the spiritual world. As the spirits start to claim more victims, the survivors desperately try to escape. Minuit sacrifices himself to hold the spirits back, while others, like Sephora and Younce, succumb to the supernatural attack, illustrating the high cost of this cursed history.
Ultimately, Chaka and Rafa attempt to escape by boat, but Omar’s zombified corpse reemerges from the river, drowning Chaka in a tragic final moment. In the ending, the spirits of Sira Bana pass over Rafa and Awa without harm, and the curse seems to lift, restoring the vibrancy of Saloum. This suggests that the curse was created by Omar’s sins and Chaka’s relentless pursuit of revenge—and that it can be broken once both Omar and Chaka are dead. The story leaves viewers with the idea that revenge, like a river, flows relentlessly, and only through sacrifice and death can the cycle be broken. The supernatural chaos is a metaphor for the destructive power of hatred and unresolved guilt, ultimately itself drowned in the river where it all began.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:58
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