SENEGAL’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CALM; OPPOSITION LEADER URGES PROTESTS

Tue 09 March 2021:

Thousands of largely young people have taken to the streets in the past week, leaving at least eight dead in clashes between protesters and police and bringing parts of the capital, Dakar, to a halt. Many observers say protesters are venting wider frustrations about unemployment, inequality and corruption in one of west Africa’s most stable democracies.

Ousmane Sonko, a charismatic 46-year-old opposition leader and MP, has been released on bail pending a rape trial in a case that has ignited mass outrage at President Macky Sall’s government and led to the worst unrest in a decade.

He denies the allegation and his supporters believe it is the latest in a line of moves orchestrated to prevent popular figures such as Sonko from challenging Sall’s government in elections.

Following his release, Sonko said at a news conference that the street protests would continue and state authorities must pay compensation to the families of those killed during the protests and the assailants had to be brought to justice.

Ousmane Sonko (2nd R) speaks to media following his release under judicial supervision pending his trial after his arrest sparked deadly protests in Dakar, Senegal on March 08, 2021. ( Stringer – Anadolu Agency )

Also calling for the release of political prisoners and detained individuals, Sonko said he himself would file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and it was important to reveal the identity of the “militia” who were armed and wearing body armor.

He argued that a revolution had begun in Senegal and it could not be stopped, adding the opposition should maintain this momentum until the elections slated for 2024.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall called Monday for an end to street protests.

In his address to the nation, Sall offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the protests, which he said caused unprecedented material and human losses, noting that multiple public buildings were attacked and many businesses were looted.

Stressing that no excuse could justify the ongoing violence, the president called on the nation to calm down and express its feelings in a non-violent manner.

Military tanks patrolled Dakar’s streets on Monday morning in a show of force. Outside court groups of Sonko supporters cheered the judgment as a “partial victory”. Despite his release, protests called by his Movement to Defend Democracy party (M2D) are expected to continue.

Several demonstrators and opposition supporters have been arrested in a troubling crackdown by authorities, according to Ousmane Diallo, a researcher at Amnesty International in Senegal.

“There are serious concerns about excessive and lethal use of force by the security forces during … [the] protests, but also about arbitrary arrests of supporters of Ousmane Sonko in the weeks before,” he said. “Counter-protesters holding sticks and clubs were seen in many places, attacking protesters, while the police was watching,” he added.

Some protesters have looted and vandalised French stores and petrol stations in Senegal, as significant anti-government and anti-French sentiment has unravelled into the streets.

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