Political allies who paid him a visit have stated that Ousmane Sonko, the opposition leader of Senegal who is imprisoned, has called off his hunger strike, which he began in mid-October.
Sonko, whose attorneys claim that he is being prevented from standing for president in 2024 by means of his protracted legal battles, was admitted to the hospital at the end of October after going into a coma.
His opponents claimed he is now “in excellent shape” and in a good mood.
The hunger strike by Sonko has ended “for the time being,” according to a message sent to AFP by MP Guy Marius Sagna.
A Facebook post by Sonko’s political coalition member Habib Sy also verified the strike’s conclusion.
Sonko’s bid for president was given a further setback last week by Senegal’s Supreme Court, which ordered a retrial on the issue of whether the opposition leader may be included to the 2024 voter rolls.
Sonko’s removal from the electoral registration was overturned by a court in Ziguinchor, a southern city, last month, but the state filed an appeal.
Sonko is in a race against time to gather and turn in the required sponsorship documents, thus the top court’s failure to set a date for a retrial might potentially ruin his chances of winning the presidency.
Although he is incarcerated, his PASTEF party has supported Bassirou Diomaye Fay, their number two lawmaker, as a potential replacement.
“To sponsor Diomaye is to sponsor Sonko” is the campaign slogan that the party has circulated, although Sagna insisted that nothing has changed.
He declared, “Sonko is still our one and only candidate.”
Over the previous two and a half years, the 49-year-old political thorn in President Macky Sall’s side has encountered a number of legal challenges.
The bloodiest rioting Senegal has witnessed in years began after he was found guilty in absentia on June 1 of morally influencing a young person and sentenced to two years in jail.
He was detained in July on additional allegations of inciting rebellion, unlawfully joining a terrorist organisation, and posing a threat to public safety.
Since then, he has gone on sporadic hunger strikes.
With his stern attitude against former colonial power France and his pan-Africanist rhetoric, he has struck a chord with Senegalese under 20, who make up half of the population and are especially fond of him.
AFP
