Senegalese opposition leader calls for protests after rally ban

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Jul 2023 08:50

The Senegalese opposition leader calls his supporters to organize a peaceful protest calling on the incumbent President to leave office.

Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko during a meeting in Ziguinchor on May 24, 2023 (AFP)

Ousmane Sonko, the Senegalese opposition leader and presidential candidate for the upcoming elections, has called for a peaceful protest following the authorities' decision to block his planned rally.

In the PASTEF party primaries, Sonko was unanimously voted as the party's candidate for the February 25, 2024 presidential elections. However, the governor of Dakar announced on Thursday that the opposition party's nomination rally, scheduled to take place in a stadium on the outskirts of the capital, had been banned due to concerns about public order.

In response, Sonko urged his supporters to express their disapproval peacefully. He called for a "concert of saucepans, horns, and firecrackers" on Saturday evening and encouraged his supporters to wear red as a sign of protest, inviting them to gather from 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm to voice their discontent and demand President Macky Sall's peaceful departure from office.

Sonko, who has been confined to his home in Dakar since May 28, accused President Sall of attempting to eradicate the PASTEF party and prevent him from running for president.

Sonko has campaigned vigorously against Sall. While this time he called for protests through a concert and firecrackers, earlier, he warned against potential "indescribable chaos" if he is barred from participating in the presidential race.

Sonko's convictions have led to violent clashes between his supporters and security forces, back in June, resulting in the worst unrest Senegal has witnessed in years. Senegalese Interior Minister Antoine Diome confirmed that at least nine people were killed in clashes following the sentencing of Sonko to two years behind bars.

However, despite legal analysts and his own lawyers asserting that his convictions of "corrupting youth" make him ineligible, Sonko maintains that he is still qualified for the 2024 election.

President Sall, meanwhile, surprised both his critics and supporters by announcing that he would not seek reelection next year, despite earlier expectations that he would defy constitutional limits and run for a third term.