Senegal’s opposition has called for a fresh rally in the capital Dakar on Saturday, days after the arrest of a rival to the president sparked the West African nation’s worst unrest in years.
At least five people were killed in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces, which were sparked on Wednesday last week by the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, a government critic popular with young people.
The violence, which the opposition has said claimed 11 lives, came as a shock in a country that is usually seen as a haven of stability in an otherwise volatile region.
Photo: AP
Tensions only began to ease on Monday after a court freed Sonko from detention.
The 46-year-old was nonetheless also charged with rape, in a case that he claims was trumped up to smear him.
On Tuesday, an opposition collective that includes Sonko’s Pastef Party called for a peaceful demonstration in Dakar on Saturday, to press for the release of what it termed “political prisoners.”
The collective known as the Movement for Defence of Democracy, or M2D, also called for a day of mourning tomorrow, urging people to wear white to commemorate dead protesters.
On Tuesday, parts of Dakar where protesters had hurled stones at police and torched vehicles returned to calm, although military vehicles remained in position in the government quarter.
“I think things are going to calm down because Sonko has been released. He was unjustly arrested,” said Grace Baramoto, a 37-year-old housewife who stayed home for two days to avoid the turmoil.
Sonko came third in the 2019 presidential election and is considered a contender to replace Senegalese President Macky Sall in 2024.
However, his political future was last month thrown into doubt after a beauty salon employee accused him of raping her.
Then, on Wednesday last week, Sonko was arrested on charges of disturbing public order, after his supporters clashed with police while he was making his way to court for the rape case.
The government’s move sparked a violent backlash that saw protesters clash with police and loot supermarkets, highlighting long-simmering grievances over living standards and inequality in the poor nation.
Military vehicles and police squadrons flooded Dakar on Monday ahead of Sonko’s court hearing, which had been postponed, and thousands of protesters rallied on a central square in the seaside city.
Speaking after his release, Sonko said: “The revolution has already started and nobody can stop it.”
He urged Senegalese to keep demonstrating, saying that protests should be “much larger,” but also peaceful.
Addressing the situation on Monday evening, Sall appealed to protesters to “avoid the logic of confrontation that leads to the worst.”
The courts should be left to do their job “in all independence,” he added.
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