May 28. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko is finally in Dakar, the culmination of the trip of his “freedom caravan” to protest against the Government, after being detained in the last hours by the Senegalese security forces for protection reasons.
Sonko was arrested in Koungheul, some 300 kilometers from the capital, when he was handed over to the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (CIGN) amidst the alarm from his Senegalese Patriots party (PASTEF) who even reported him missing.
The opponent was finally transferred to his home in the Keur Gorgui neighborhood, in the heart of the capital, according to sources from Dakar Actu.
Sonko’s “caravan” began its tour of the country this week to star in its “final fight” against the government of President Macky Sall in Dakar, weeks after the opponent announced a boycott of judicial proceedings after denouncing ” judicial banditry” and the use of the courts to try to remove him from the presidential elections scheduled for 2024.
A court, it should be remembered, recently raised the suspended sentence against him to six months for defaming the Minister of Tourism, Mame Mbaye Niang.
The case against Sonko for alleged rape was opened in March 2021, when the arrest of the opponent led to protests by his followers that resulted in 15 deaths and significant material damage. Demonstrations last week by supporters who gathered at his home to prevent his arrest left another three dead, including an officer killed in an accident by a police vehicle.
The opposition has denounced on several occasions that the president of Senegal 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, although the president has defended that it would be legal for him to run for office, a point that he has not yet confirmed.
