Senegal, one of Africa's bastions of stability, faces its gravest threat of unrest in decades
DAKAR, Senegal - June 2, 2023: Supporters of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko protest in the Senegalese capital following his two-year sentencing for "corrupting the youth."
The criminal conviction of a populist opposition leader in Senegal has triggered widespread unrest that threatens the West African country's long-established political stability.
Days of violent clashes erupted late last week between security forces and supporters of Ousmane Sonko, the 2024 presidential candidate and leader of the opposition PASTEF party sentenced in absentia on Thursday to two years in prison for "corrupting the youth." He was acquitted on an accompanying rape charge.
As of Monday, at least 16 people had reportedly been killed and hundreds of others were injured, while police had arrested around 500 people across several cities. Internet and social media access was restricted, and roadblocks were erected on key transport routes.
"The recent deaths and injuries of protesters set a worrying tone for the 2024 presidential elections and should be thoroughly investigated, with those responsible held accountable," said Carine Kaneza Nantulya, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
"The authorities should end the repression against protesters and critics, and guarantee freedom of assembly."
This condemnation and call for restraint were echoed in recent days by the spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, by the regional bloc of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and by African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat.
"The Senegalese authorities should end the arbitrary arrests, release those wrongfully held, including children, and respect the rights of Senegalese people to peacefully demonstrate and protest," said Kaneza Nantulya.
"The African Union and ECOWAS should use their influence to press Senegalese authorities to end their repression of protests and critics."
The unrest comes after a turbulent couple of years and is the worst seen for decades in a country often held up as a beacon for democracy and stability in the region.
Triggers for unrest
Sonko has staunchly maintained that the multiple criminal cases brought against him in recent years are politically motivated and part of an effort by President Macky Sall's government to derail his 2024 candidacy. The conviction could bar him from running.
He was first indicted on rape charges in March 2021 and faces separate defamation charges. His various trial dates over the last two years have often been accompanied by flare-ups of violence from supporters.
Broader tensions among the public were already simmering of late, amid speculation that Sall will seek a third term in office despite the country's two-term limit and his rapidly deteriorating popularity since the last election in 2019.
The underlying roots of the unrest are both political and socio-economic, according to analysts at African specialist intelligence company Pangea-Risk. Consumer price inflation has slowed since late 2022, but hovers at around 9%, with food prices up more than 11% year-on-year.
"Transportation costs, rents, electricity tariffs, and fuel prices are also still unaffordable for many Senegalese. Even while the country's economy has been growing at record rates on the back of sizable investments in extractive sectors and infrastructure projects, including both renewable and gas-fired power plants, living conditions for many people have not noticeably improved," Pangea-Risk said.
Source: CNBC
