May 17. (EUROPE PRESS) –
At least two people have died in the framework of demonstrations called by supporters of the Senegalese opposition leader and mayor of the city of Ziguinchor, Ousmane Sonko, according to the country’s authorities.
The Ministry of the Interior has reported the discovery of two corpses, one in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and another in Ziguinchor, in relation to the demonstrations, since both cities were the scene of the protests, according to the newspaper ‘Le Soleil’. .
One of the victims, who has been identified as Pape Amadou Keita, has died from a stab wound, while the second protester who has lost his life has not yet been identified.
The Senegalese authorities reported on Monday that a police officer had died in an accident involving an armored vehicle belonging to the security forces that were operating in the protests.
The Police fired tear gas on Monday against hundreds of people who had gathered in front of Sonko’s house, blocking the passage to the area, to try to avoid his possible arrest in the face of a summons to appear before a court in the capital, Dakar, for a 2021 case of rape and threats against an employee of a hairdresser.
After that, at least 28 people have been injured -25 protesters and three policemen- and have been transferred to hospitals where they are receiving treatment, according to hospital sources consulted by the APS news agency.
Sonko was arrested in 2021 after around twenty opposition parliamentarians filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court against the withdrawal of their parliamentary immunity. The arrest of the opponent, who came in third place in the 2019 presidential elections, unleashed a wave of protests that resulted in several deaths.
The opposition has denounced on several occasions that the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, has plans to run for a third term. The Senegalese constitution limits the total number of terms to two and an attempt to extend his stay in power could lead to instability.
