DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Monday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Africa.
With his release, 46-year-old politician accused President Macky Sall of his arrest and accused the incumbent leader of wanting to tip his future political prospects ahead of the country’s 2024 election. While Sonko publicly accused the president of plunging Senegal into an unprecedented crisis, the opposition leader said his goal was not to force Sall to power.
“We do not want to take responsibility for undermining our democracy,” he tweeted late Monday. “But let’s be clear, the revolution is on the rise after 2024.”
According to Amnesty International, at least eight people have been killed since the riots began last week, the worst unrest to hit Senegal in nearly a decade.
Sonko is widely seen as the president’s biggest potential political challenger in the next election, and the protests that began on Wednesday were accelerated by broader, years-long grievances against Sall’s government.
The two men addressed the country in rugby speech Monday night: first Sonko, then the president.
Sall told Senegalese families that he knew they were in the midst of the economic downturn of COVID-19, and that the ensuing poverty was only further fueling dissatisfaction with his government. He agreed to reduce the nightmare that many traders blame for deepening their hardships.
“I understand your concern and the anger you are experiencing over the difficult life you have to live in, mainly due to the unemployment highlighted by COVID-19,” Sall said. “But if you steal a business, you do not create jobs, you destroy it.”
However, some Sonko supporters have indicated that they will continue their civil disobedience, even after their judge was released on parole on Monday. Crowds of noisy supporters descended on the courthouse in the city center and waved Senegalese flags and then went to his residence.
Protesters tried to undermine Sall’s business ties with former colonizer France and attacked more than a dozen supermarkets opened by French retailer Auchan. The total protesters were also targeted by the protesters in Dakar.
The appearance of burnt-out cars and adjoining shops is a rare occurrence in Senegal, which has never suffered under the military coups and dictatorships that have destabilized so many of its neighbors in West Africa over the past half century.
The protests only started on Wednesday before Sonko’s initial court appearance for questioning on charges of rape. He was detained on his way to court and arrested for disturbing public order after hundreds of supporters clashed with police blocking unauthorized protests. He is now charged with rape and the death threats.
Sonko, a populist who fought against corruption and poverty, finished third in the 2019 presidential election with just over 15% of the vote, gaining strong support from younger voters. His message of greater economic independence for Senegal has attracted an even wider audience amid the financial hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic amid evening bells and other movement restrictions.
Sonko also on Monday called on the president to publicly resign from a third term. After easily winning the re-election in 2019 with more than 58% of the vote, his opponents fear he will extend his mandate by a third term, as presidents in neighboring Guinea and Ivory Coast did last year. However, Sall has not yet publicly commented on his intentions.
While Sall is attributed to infrastructure and development projects, his critics say progress has come along the sidelines of political rivals. Two other emerging political stars have previously been charged with politically motivated charges.
Karim Wade, the son of the president, who defeated Sall in 2012, was once widely seen as the heir before being charged with corruption the following year. He eventually spent three years in prison before going into exile abroad in Qatar. Former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall, who was once seen as the best contender for the 2019 election, was arrested in 2017 on corruption charges and later pardoned after the vote took place.
The leaders of Senegal’s influential Muslim Brotherhood urged the protesters to exercise restraint in the coming days.
“Every Senegalese has the right to express themselves on the situation in the country, but with respect for institutions and without the destruction of public or private property,” said Serigne Mansour Sy. “We ask for peace and calm.”