Tensions have been decreasing a little, but the situation remains unsure and fragile in Senegal and in Dakar, where the two-year condemnation of political opponent Ousmane Sonko triggered off violences that made sixteen casualties.
Ousmane Sonko, biggest opponent to current president Macky Sall, was condemned to spend two years in jail last Thursday due to “youth corruption” after having urged to debauchery a twenty-year-old woman. Charged with rape accusations, the politician was eventually sentenced to jail for another charge that makes him ineligible for the upcoming presidential elections.
Planned in 2024, the next elections were supposed to be a fierce competition between Macky Sall and Ousmane Sonko, and Sonko’s followers are considering this condemnation as a way of getting rid of Sonko in the race towards elections. In the week, a few social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp were cut off by the government to avoid “the broadcasting of resentful and subversive messages”.
In Dakar, in the surroundings and in the whole country, Sonko’s condemnation brought people in the streets and the worst happened with the police being confronted to civilians unhappy with the decision of the law. As a result, sixteen people found death while public and private goods were destroyed. Some bank agencies, some roads but also several stores were burnt down, sacked and wrecked.
The army was called for backup. In the meantime, the police are still checking over strategic places in the capital city. Ousmane Sonko can be put under arrest at any moment, and the fear of chaos is real in the case Macky Sall’s main opponent was about to be apprehended by the armed forces.
Many shops and stores decided to remain closed in Dakar, and streets are getting empty, while gas stations are beginning to be stormed by those who are afraid of a potential shortage.