In Senegal, a wave of protests has turned deadly with at least two fatalities reported following demonstrations that erupted nationwide on Friday. The unrest comes in the wake of President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential elections initially set for this month, a move that has significantly heightened tensions across the country.
Security forces, deployed to manage the gatherings, were reported to have dispersed groups of demonstrators, some of whom were prevented from assembling. Among the casualties were two young men, one in Saint-Louis and another in Dakar, highlighting the protests’ tragic toll. Local media, citing the public prosecutor’s statement, identified one of the victims as a student who lost his life on a school campus amid the protests in Saint-Louis.
FILE PHOTO: Senegal’s president Macky Sall attends a national dialogue that aims easing political tension and violence ahead of the February 2024 presidential election in Dakar, Senegal May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Ngouda Dione/File Photo
This surge of discontent was sparked by President Sall’s announcement last week of the election’s postponement, a decision made hours before the official campaigning was set to commence. The parliament’s subsequent endorsement of this delay until December and its decision to extend Sall’s tenure until a successor is inducted—which is not anticipated until early 2025—has only fueled the public’s ire. Sall’s tenure was originally scheduled to conclude on April 2nd.
The president attributes this controversial postponement to a discord between the parliament and the Constitutional Council concerning the eligibility of certain presidential candidates. In efforts to quell the unrest, Sall expressed his intentions to initiate a national dialogue aimed at facilitating a peaceful electoral process.
Among those arrested as the protests spread in the capital included former Prime Minister Aminata Toure and presidential candidate Anta Babacar. (John Wessels/AFP)
The opposition’s response has been swift, with lawmakers appealing to the Constitutional Court and presidential candidates turning to the Supreme Court in search of redress. Meanwhile, the promise of further protests looms large, with new demonstrations scheduled for Tuesday.
The unrest has not been confined to Senegal alone; the diaspora, too, has been vocal in its dissent. In France, home to a significant Senegalese community, protests were staged in major cities including Paris, Bordeaux, and Nice, underlining the global resonance of the country’s political crisis.
