at least nine dead in clashes after the conviction of opponent Ousmane Sonko

The situation is tense in Senegal. On Thursday, June 1, violence that has turned deadly broke out in various neighborhoods of Dakar, after the Senegalese opposition member Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison, accused of “corruption of young people.” This ruling further compromises his candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections.

“We have noted with regret the violence that has caused the destruction of public and private property and, unfortunately, nine deaths in Dakar and Ziguinchor,” Interior Minister Antoine Diome said Thursday night on national television, acknowledging that the authorities had restricted access to social media.

The senior official indicated that “after verifying the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages on social networks,” the Government decided to “temporarily suspend the use of certain digital applications through which violence and hatred are called.”

Groups of youths attacked public property in various areas of the capital, burning tires and placing obstacles in the streets, an AFP photographer observed. Clashes broke out between the groups and the security forces, with the throwing of stones and tear gas.

The highway leading to the airport was blocked by protesters, local media reported. The new train that connects the new city of Diamniadio with the capital stopped working.

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At night, several social networks and messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, suffered severe access restrictions. “This situation resembles that seen in 2021,” when Senegal was ravaged by deadly riots, and “probably significantly limits the public’s ability to communicate,” Internet monitoring service Netblocks said in a message to AFP. These types of restrictions are already common among authorities around the world in times of tension.

Convicted of “corruption of minors”

The violence follows the sentence handed down on Thursday by a Dakar criminal court against Ousmane Sonko, President Macky Sall’s staunchest opponent, accused of rape and death threats.

The court sentenced him for “corruption of minors”, which consists of inciting the “debauchery” of a young person under 21 years of age. However, he was cleared of the charges of rape and death threats.

The complainant, Adji Sarr, a former employee of the beauty salon where Ousmane Sonko used to receive massages, was under 21 years of age at the time of the events she denounced.

The court’s decision provoked loud demonstrations of disapproval in the courtroom, under heavy police protection, without it being clear whether they were due to sympathy for the plaintiff or for the opposition leader.

Adji Sarr left the room without speaking. She has been threatened and insulted since the scandal broke, and placed under police protection, she has always persisted in accusing her. As she testified at trial, Sonko abused her five times between late 2020 and early 2021. She never became a leading figure in the fight against violence against women, as the issue was too politicized by the presidential elections. and society did not facilitate such a commitment.

A political and criminal issue

Ousmane Sonko has repeatedly denied the accusations and has claimed that the government is conspiring to keep him out of the presidential election. The owner and witnesses refuted Adji Sarr’s claims at trial.

The owner of the Sweet Beauté salon, Ndèye Khady Ndiaye, was also sentenced to two years in prison for inciting debauchery, but cleared of complicity in rape. She and Sonko will each have to pay a fine of 600,000 CFA francs (900 euros) and jointly pay 20 million CFA francs (30,000 euros) in damages to the plaintiff.

Ousmane Sonko can no longer be a candidate

“We are convinced that Sonko is guilty,” El Hadji Diouf, Adji Sarr’s lawyer, told reporters. But 20 million CFA francs in damages is little for the “suffering” he suffered, he lamented.

In view of the electoral code, the decision appears to maintain the threat over the politician’s eligibility and ability to compete in the 2024 presidential election. The court did not rule on whether Sonko should be detained.

“The decision to arrest him or not is up to the prosecutor,” said one of the politician’s lawyers, Djiby Diagne. “Let all Senegalese know: Ousmane Sonko can no longer be a candidate,” added another of his lawyers, Bamba Cissé.

At the time of the court decision, it was presumed that Sonko, president of the Pastef-les Patriotes party and third candidate in the 2019 presidential elections, was at his home in Dakar, blocked since Sunday by a large police device, ” kidnapped”, according to his own words.

The security forces have rejected, even by force, any attempt by his lawyers or supporters to get close to him.

What is at stake is both criminal and political. The eligibility of 48-year-old Ousmane Sonko has already been jeopardized by a recent suspended six-month prison sentence for defamation of a minister.

Since the alleged rape case hit the headlines, the opponent has engaged in a fierce battle with the authorities for his judicial and political survival.

Some twenty civilians have died since 2021 in riots largely related to their situation. The authorities and Sonko’s camp blame each other.

with AFP

This article was adapted from its original in French