At least 15 people killed in Senegal as opposition leader's supporters clash with police
Senegal's government says the number of people killed in clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has now risen to 15, including two security officers
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Your support makes all the difference.The number of people killed in days of clashes between Senegalese police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has now risen to 15, including two security officers, the government said on Saturday.
Clashes continued in pockets of the city Friday evening with demonstrators throwing rocks, burning cars and damaging supermarkets as police fired tear gas and the government deployed the military in tanks.
Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. Sonko, who didnāt attend his trial in Dakar, was sentenced to two years in prison. His lawyer said a warrant hadnāt been issued yet for his arrest.
Sonko came in third in Senegalās 2019 presidential election and is popular with the countryās youth. His supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
Sonko is considered President Macky Sallās main competition and has urged Sall to state publicly that he wonāt seek a third term in office.
The international community has called on Senegalās government to resolve the tensions. Franceās ministry for Europe and foreign affairs said it was āextremely concerned by the violenceā and called for a resolution to this crisis, in keeping with Senegalās long democratic tradition.
Rights groups have condemned the government crackdown, which has included arbitrary arrests and restrictions on social media. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been suspended, for nearly two days.
Senegalese are blaming the government for the violence and the loss of lives.
One woman, Seynabou Diop, told The Associated Press on Saturday that her 21-year-old son, Khadim, was killed in the protests, shot by a bullet to the chest.
āI feel deep pain. Whatās happening is hard. Our children are dying. I never thought Iād have to go through this,ā she said.
This was the first time her son, a disciplined and kind mechanic, had joined in the protests, rushing out of the house as soon as he heard Sonko was convicted, she said.
āI think Macky Sall is responsible. If heād talked to the Senegalese people, especially young people, maybe we wouldnāt have all these problems,ā said Diop. The Associated Press cannot verify the cause of death. The family said an autopsy was underway.
Corrupting young people, which includes using oneās position of power to have sex with people under the age of 21, is a criminal offense in Senegal, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $6,000.
Under Senegalese law, Sonkoās conviction would bar him from running in next yearās election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. However, the government said that Sonko could ask for a retrial once he was imprisoned. It was unclear when he would be taken into custody.
If violence continues, it could threaten the country's institutions, say analysts.
āNever in their worst forms of nightmare (would) Senegalese have thought of witnessing the prevailing forms of apocalyptic and irrational violence,ā said Alioune Tine, founder of Afrikajom Center, a West African think tank.
āThe most shared feeling about the current situation is fear, stress, exhaustion and helplessness. Thus what the people are now seeking for is peace,ā he said.
The West African country has been seen as a bastion of democratic stability in the region.
Sonko hasn't been heard from or seen since the verdict. In a statement Friday, his PASTEF-Patriots party called on Senegalese to āamplify and intensify the constitutional resistanceā until President Sall leaves office.
Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said the damage caused by months of demonstrations had cost the country millions of dollars. He argued the protesters themselves posed a threat to democracy.
āThese calls (to protest), itās a bit like the anti-republican nature of all these movements that hide behind social networks and donāt believe in the foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, but also the resources that our (legal) system offers,ā Fofana said.