Death toll from protests in Senegal rises to 15

The government announced on Saturday that the death toll from days of confrontations between Senegalese police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has risen to 15, including two security officers.

Friday evening, clashes persisted in pockets of the city, with protesters hurling projectiles, torching vehicles, and damaging supermarkets, while police launched tear gas and the government deployed tanks.

Sonko was convicted of corrupting youth on Thursday, but acquitted of raping a massage parlor employee and making death threats against her. Sonko, who did not attend his trial in Dakar, was given a two-year prison sentence. His attorney stated that an arrest warrant had not yet been issued for him.

Sonko finished third in the 2019 presidential election in Senegal and is well-liked by the country’s youth. His supporters assert that his legal troubles are part of a government plot to thwart his presidential campaign in the 2024 election.

Sonko is President Macky Sall’s chief rival, and he has urged Sall to declare publicly that he will not run for a third term.

The international community has urged the government of Senegal to end the tensions. In keeping with Senegal’s long democratic tradition, the French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs stated that it was “extremely concerned by the violence” and urged for a resolution to this crisis.

Human rights organizations have condemned the government’s crackdown, which has included arbitrary arrests and social media restrictions. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, which were used by demonstrators to incite violence, have been suspended for nearly two days.

Senegalese attribute the violence and loss of life to the government.

Seynabou Diop told The Associated Press on Saturday that her 21-year-old son, Khadim, was shot in the torso during the protests.

“I feel profound anguish. What is occurring is difficult. Our offspring are perishable. “I never imagined going through this,” she said.

She stated that this was the first time her son, a disciplined and kind mechanic, had participated in protests, leaving the home as soon as he heard Sonko had been convicted.

“I believe Macky Sall is accountable. “Perhaps if he had spoken with the Senegalese people, particularly the youth, we wouldn’t have all these problems,” Diop said. The Associated Press cannot confirm the death’s cause. The family stated that an autopsy was in progress.

In Senegal, corrupting young people, which includes using one’s position of authority to have intercourse with those younger than 21, is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $6,000 fine.

Sonko’s conviction would prevent him from competing in next year’s election, according to Senegalese law, said Bamba Cisse, another defense attorney. The government stated that Sonko could request a retrial once he was incarcerated. It was unclear when he would be apprehended.

According to analysts, if violence persists, it could jeopardize the country’s institutions.

Alioune Tine, founder of the Afrikajom Center, a West African think tank, remarked that Senegalese would never in their wildest nightmares have imagined witnessing the prevalent forms of apocalyptic and irrational violence.

“Fear, stress, exhaustion, and helplessness are the most common responses to the current situation.” Therefore, what the people now desire is harmony,” he said.

The country in West Africa is regarded as a bastion of democratic stability in the region.

Sonko has not been seen or heard from since the verdict. In a statement released on Friday, the PASTEF-Patriots party urged Senegalese to “amplify and intensify the constitutional resistance” until President Sall resigns.

Abdou Karim Fofana, a government spokesman, stated that the harm caused by months of protests cost the country millions of dollars. He asserted that the demonstrators presented a menace to democracy.

“These calls (to protest) are similar to the anti-republican nature of all these movements that hide behind social networks and do not believe in the foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, and the resources that our (legal) system provides,” said Fofana.