Guterres “calls for calm” over the outbreak of violence in Senegal after Sonko’s conviction

June 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, “calls for calm” and moderation after nine people were killed in the protests that broke out following the two-year sentence against opposition figure Ousmane Sonko.

As reported by the Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary General of the World Organization, Farhan Haq, at a press conference, Guterres “is closely monitoring the situation in Senegal” and “strongly condemns the use of violence, calls for calm and urges all actors to exercise restraint”.

A Senegalese court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison on Thursday for “corruption of youth”, in the framework of a trial for alleged rape and death threats against a woman, charges of which he was finally acquitted.

After that, “violent clashes” have been recorded in the last hours in the capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor, a city in the south of the country of which Sonko is mayor. The case against Sonko for alleged rape was opened in March 2021, when the opponent’s arrest led to protests by his followers that resulted in 15 deaths and significant material damage.

Demonstrations in mid-May by supporters who gathered at his home to prevent his arrest resulted in another three deaths, including an officer run over in an accident by a police vehicle.