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Clashes in Senegal Leave 9 Dead 06/02 06:13
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese
opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said
Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social
media platforms in the aftermath of the violence.
The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor in the
south, where Sonko is mayor, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome
said in a statement.
Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence, such as
Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been suspended, he said.
"The state of Senegal has taken every measure to guarantee the safety of
people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the
country," Diome said.
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. The court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison. He didn't attend his
trial in Dakar, and was judged in absentia. His lawyer said a warrant hadn't
been issued yet for the politician's arrest.
Sonko came in third in Senegal's 2019 presidential election and is popular
with the country's 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 Sall's main competition and has urged
Sall to state publicly that he won't seek a third term in office.
Corrupting young people, which includes using one's position of power to
have sex with people under the age of 21, is a criminal offense in Senegal that
is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than
$6,000.
Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next
year's election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer.
"The conviction for corruption of youth hinders his eligibility, because he
was sentenced in absentia, so we can't appeal," Cisse said.
However, the government said that Sonko can ask for a retrial once he is
imprisoned. It was unclear when he would be taken into custody.
Shortly after the verdict was announced Thursday, clashes erupted throughout
the country with Sonko's PASTEF party calling for people to take to the streets.
In Dakar, protesters threw rocks, burned vehicles and in some places erected
barricades while police fired tear gas. Plumes of black smoke and the sound of
tear gas being fired were seen and heard throughout the city. Those who weren't
protesting stayed indoors, leaving much of Dakar a ghost town with boarded-up
shops and empty streets as people feared the violence would escalate.
"The verdict cements the criticism that Sall's government is weaponizing the
judiciary to eliminate prominent rivals that could shake his rule," said
Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at global risk intelligence company Verisk
Maplecroft.
"Despite being presented as a beacon (of) democracy, the Sonko cases
demonstrate the structural issues Senegal grapples with. The court decision and
the prospect of Sall's bid for a third term in the election next year will fuel
fierce criticism around erosion of judicial independence and democratic
backsliding," Dumaz said.
Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said that the damage caused by
months of demonstrations has cost the country millions of dollars.
"These calls (to protest), it's a bit like the anti-republican nature of all
these movements that hide behind social networks and don't believe in the
foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, but also
the resources that our (legal) system offers," Fofana said.
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