NetBlocks said social media and messaging apps, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube, were restricted early Friday ahead of a planned demonstration by civil society and opposition parties led by the protest movement “Y And A Marre” (Enough is Enough).
Sonko, a 46-year-old tax inspector who came third with 15% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election, enjoys great support among Senegalese youths. He is being questioned after being deprived of his parliamentary immunity last week.
Although not immune to political unrest, it has been several years since Senegal – one of the most stable democracies in West Africa – experienced such a violent uprising between protesters and the authorities.
“We call on the Senegalese authorities to respect the freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country,” said Samira Daoud, regional director of the rights group Amnesty International.
Amnesty expressed concern over a spate of arbitrary arrests in a crackdown on two private television channels for 72 hours because of their coverage of the protests.
The streets of Dakar were quiet early Friday. Some were swept from rubble and burnt tires from the previous day when protesters threw stones at riot police who fired guns and tear gas in response.
Some schools and shops have closed for the protests after looting and destruction in several neighborhoods in the capital.