Reports indicate that in Monday, MPs and supporters of famous opposition leader Ousamane Sonko who is on trial for rape and libel were denied access to Sonko’s residence. As a result, clashes between protestors and police officers broke out in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
Police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had erected temporary barriers along one of Dakar’s main thoroughfares and had set fire to automobiles and a ministry building in one district.
The refusal of President Macky Sall to rule out running for a third term in office and court cases involving Ousmane Sonko, who denies wrongdoing and claims the charges against him are intended to disqualify him from the upcoming presidential elections in February, are what initially sparked months of unrest.
After Sonko and other supporters prepared to approach Dakar in a caravan of vehicles on Sunday in anticipation of the court’s decision in the rape trial, which is anticipated on June 1, the police drove Sonko to his home instead.
According to opposition MP Ramatoulaye Bodian, police sprayed tear gas at mayors and MPs who wanted to see Sonko at home on Monday. Reuters was unable to quickly confirm that assertion.
The caravan that was stopped on Sunday, according to Senegal’s interior minister, had not requested authorization.
“Sonko can’t leave his house. … No one can go see him, but why? Where is this democracy?” said El Malick Ndiaye, a spokesman for Sonko’s Pastef Party.
Attempts to reach the police and Sall’s office for comment on Monday were unsuccessful.
Senegal has a two-term limit for presidents and is regarded as one of West Africa’s strongest democracies. However, Sall’s detractors are concerned that, like other long-reigning leaders in the area, he may exploit a change in the constitution in 2016 as a pretext to rescind his mandate and run again.
Sonko is well-liked by young people, but this week’s insulting remarks about a woman who accused him of rape in a massage parlor in 2021 drew criticism from Senegalese women’s groups and a number of well-known individuals.
A prosecution in the case asked for a 10-year prison term last week. If found guilty, Sonko can be expelled from the election.