Ongoing tensions in Senegal: death toll rises to 15
DAKAR, Senegal – Violent riots in the West African country of Senegal have left 15 people dead in the past week after a court convicted opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
The country, normally a bastion of stability in West Africa witnessed rare violence past week.
Sonko, a 48-year-old former tax inspector, was initially charged with rape. On Thursday, however, he was sentenced to two years in prison on a lenient charge.
He claims the charges against him are an attempt by the government to torpedo his political career ahead of next year’s presidential election.
His conviction could take him out of the race for the 2024 election.
Clashes erupted between Sonko’s supporters and police after the verdict was announced Thursday, killing 15 people so far.
Burned-out cars, tires, and roads strewn with debris bore witness to the violence.
The army was deployed to the streets but fresh scuffles erupted on Friday night in parts of the capital, Dakar, and in Ziguinchor.
Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said Friday that the violence was not sparked by “political demands” but by “vandalism and banditry.”
A fiery speaker and charismatic figure, Sonko has won a large following among Senegal’s youth, who love his jibes at the political elite.
He has spoken out against debt, poverty, food insecurity, underfunded health and education systems, and corruption.
He portrays himself as a devout Muslim and a champion of traditional values and has called for harsher penalties for same-sex relationships.
Supporters of President Macky Sall, however, see him as an agitator who has poisoned political discourse and sowed instability.
U.S. has expressed shock at the violence and urged the parties to voice their views in a peaceful manner. The State Department said Saturday that Washington “is troubled and saddened by the violence and damage we have witnessed in many parts of the country.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence and called for restraint.
Human rights organization Amnesty International has called on authorities to end “arbitrary arrests” and lift restrictions on the Internet.
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