Police clamp on protestors as Senegal opposition masses
By Story Agencies, March 21, 2023Police fired tear gas in several parts of Dakar to disperse protesters on the third day of demonstrations in support of Ousmane Sonko, who finished third in the last presidential election and is seen as a leading contender in next year’s vote.
Some protesters set fire to buses belonging to Senegal’s national public transport company and targeted French shop Auchan. Unrest also was reported in the city of Thies, 68km east of the capital, as well as in the southern towns of Ziguinchor and Bignona and in Saint-Louis in the country’s north.
Sonko maintains his legal troubles are part of an effort by President Macky Sall’s government to derail his candidacy in the 2024 election. The opposition figure has urged Sall to say publicly that he will not seek a third term in office.
“The face of Senegal is the dictatorship of Macky with police repression,” Sonko told journalists.
Earlier in the day, a convoy of opposition supporters spent more than a hour making its way between Sonko’s home and the courthouse, where he was to appear in connection with a civil lawsuit against him by Senegal’s tourism minister for alleged defamation.
In a separate matter, Sonko is also facing rape charges after a female massage salon employee came forward and accused him of assault. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and would be barred from running for president. No date is set for this trial.