DAKAR, Senegal
Senegal’s president has ordered an investigation to determine who was responsible for protests by supporters of a political opponent that turned deadly last week but said he was open to consulting with the parties involved.
President Macky Sall made his
first remarks about the unrest while speaking at a council of minister’s
meeting on Wednesday. At least 16 people, including members of the security
forces, were killed, according to the government. The opposition says at least
19 were killed.
“The president of the republic
has strongly condemned these extremely serious attacks against the state, the
republic and its institutions,” government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said.
He said the protests had included violence, looting and cyber-attacks, “the aim
of which was undoubtedly to sow terror and bring our country to a standstill.”
Clashes between some
protesters and police erupted after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was
convicted of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who
worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her.
Sall is open to dialogue and
consultations with all the “nation’s driving forces, in keeping with the rule
of law and our shared desire to live together in peace, stability and
solidarity,” Fofana said.
Sonko, who didn’t attend his
trial in Dakar, hasn’t been seen or heard from since his conviction and
sentencing to two years in prison. Sonko’s house in the capital is heavily
guarded by security forces, and his lawyers say they’ve been denied access to
him.
The prison sentence could
undermine Sonko’s chances of running in Senegal’s presidential election next
year. He is considered Sall’s main competition. Sonko has urged Sall to state
publicly that he won’t seek a third term in office.
The constitution limits
presidents to two five-year terms, but Sall argues that an amendment adopted in
2016 allows him to reset the clock and seek another term.
Analysts said that Sall’s
comments were a positive step toward quelling tensions but he would need to go
further to restore calm.
“His statement last night
seemed to be a part of a strategy that worked well in the past, staying silent
at the height of the protests to not inflame tensions and then sending a
conciliatory message to the public,” Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at global risk
intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft said.. “(But) Sall’s statement hasn’t
addressed the elephant in the room. The question of whether he will pursue a
third term, which is the root cause of the tension, has been left unanswered.”
Since the clashes erupted,
critics have accused Sall’s government of a heavy-handed response.
It temporarily suspended
mobile phone internet access and access to some social media sites,
such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, which it said was being used to incite
violence. Rights groups, civilians and the opposition accused security forces
of violently cracking down on protestors, arbitrarily arresting people and
deploying armed civilians along with the regular officers.
The Associated Press spoke to
two families that said that had relatives die gunshot wounds as a result of the
demonstrations. The AP cannot independently verify either cause of death. The
government said armed men infiltrated the protests and were not part of the
security forces.
“The recent deaths and
injuries of protesters set a worrying tone for the 2024 presidential elections
and should be thoroughly investigated, with those responsible held
accountable,” said Carine Kaneza Nantulya, deputy Africa director at Human
Rights Watch. “The authorities should end the repression against protesters and
critics, and guarantee freedom of assembly.”
The international community
has called
on Senegal, regarded as a beacon of political stability in a region rife
with coups, to find a way to restore the peace.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary
of State Antony Blinken reiterated U.S support for Senegal’s people and its
democratic values, according to a State Department spokesperson.
While a cautious calm returned
to the country this week, with mediations being facilitated by religious
leaders, who hold strong sway, there are fears that if Sonko is taken to jail,
or if Sall announces that he’ll run for a third term, deadly fighting will
erupt again.
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