Businesses and financial institutions in Senegal closed early on Wednesday in anticipation of planned rallies by the opposition coalition. They are protesting over a court case involving one of its leaders, which has already fanned unrest ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
The ministry of tourism has launched a libel complaint against Ousmane Sonko, who will appear in court on Thursday. According to the minister, Sonko wrongly accused him of stealing.
Supporters of Sonko have repeatedly taken to the streets to protest what they perceive to be an election-year slander campaign. They accuse the government of President Macky Sall. The government’s official view is that this is not the case.
A conviction may result in Sonko, 48, being removed from the voter list. He will also be disqualified from running in the next election in February 2024. In the 2019 presidential election, he placed third and has already declared his desire to run again.
Governement bans protests
Last time Sonko was in court, violence erupted as police shot tear gas at Sonko’s supporters riding in his motorcade. Buses and a supermarket were demolished by protesters who also set fire to tires.
Sonko has called for nationwide protests to occur on Wednesday, April 2, and Thursday, April 3.
Authorities in Dakar have banned demonstrations. They have also deployed armed guards to shut off the area in front of the city’s largest university.
On Wednesday, banks and retailers will close early. The decision by the education ministry to advance the start of winter break by several days resulted in the closure of schools.
The court decided to postpone Sonko’s case until March 30 after learning that he required medical attention after breathing a chemical that made it difficult for him to breathe and see during the recent rallies.
In addition, he is charged with the rape and attempted murder of a 2021 beauty salon employee. Sonko asserts that the allegations made against him are motivated by partisanship.
The flamboyant ex-tax inspector has become a target of animosity among Senegal’s disillusioned urban youth as a consequence of Sall’s unwillingness to rule out running for a third term in office next year.
Despite the fact that Senegalese law only allows two terms, there is a danger that President Sall would use a constitutional amendment in 2016 to reset his mandate, a tactic adopted by tyrants in other African nations to remain in power for longer. He has not supported nor refuted this claim.
Amadou Sall, a spokesperson for the ruling party, remarked, “[Sall] indicated that he will speak at the proper time.”
