Fatalities in Senegal Protests: 9 Dead
Senegal Faces Violent Clashes Following Opposition Leader’s Sentencing
Violent clashes erupted in Senegal following the sentencing of opposition leader and Ziguinchor Mayor Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison. Protests broke out in the streets of Dakar and Ziguinchor, leading to nine fatalities, according to the country’s Interior Minister, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome. The government subsequently blocked Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter in an effort to suppress the demonstrations.
Sonko was acquitted of rape and death threats against a worker in a massage parlor but convicted of immoral behavior towards minors under the age of 21. Although he did not attend the hearing, his lawyer announced that a search warrant had not yet been issued for Sonko’s arrest.
Following the verdict, Sonko’s party PASTEF called for nationwide demonstrations. The police responded to the protests in Dakar with tear gas, while demonstrators threw stones, set fire to vehicles, and erected barricades on the streets.
Many shopkeepers in the city had to keep their shutters down due to the ongoing unrest. The Senegalese government asserted that it had taken all necessary measures to maintain the safety of its citizens and property and would increase its security presence across the country.
