The number of people killed after days of clashes between Senegalese police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has risen to 15, including two security officers, the government said on Saturday.
Clashes continued in pockets of the city on Friday evening with protesters throwing stones, burning cars and damaging supermarkets as police fired tear gas and the government deployed the military in tanks.
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Sonko was convicted on Thursday of corrupt youth, but acquitted of the charge of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlor and threatening her with death. Sonko, who did not attend his trial in Dakar, was sentenced to two years in prison. His lawyer said an arrest warrant had not yet been issued.
Sonko came third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and is popular among the country’s youth. His supporters say his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his 2024 presidential bid.
Sonko is seen as President Macky Sall’s main competition and has urged Sall to publicly declare that he will not seek a third term.
The international community has asked the government of Senegal to resolve the tensions. The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has expressed “extreme concern about the violence” and has called for a solution to this crisis, in accordance with Senegal’s long democratic tradition.
Rights groups have condemned the government’s crackdown, which has included arbitrary arrests and restrictions on social media. Some social networks used by protesters to incite violence, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, have been suspended for almost two days.
Senegalese blame the government for the violence and loss of life.
One woman, Seynabou Diop, told The Associated Press on Saturday that her 21-year-old son, Khadim, was killed in the protests by a bullet to the chest.
“I feel deep pain. What is happening is hard. Our children are dying. I never thought I would have to go through this,” she said.
This was the first time her son, a disciplined and gentle mechanic, had joined the protests, rushing out of the house as soon as he heard Sonko was convicted, he said.
“I think Macky Sall is responsible. If he had talked to the Senegalese people, especially the youth, maybe we wouldn’t have all these problems,” Diop said. The Associated Press could not verify the cause of death. The family said an autopsy is being performed.
Corruption of youth, which includes using one’s position of power to have sexual relations 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 .
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Under Senegalese law, Sonko’s conviction would bar him from running in next year’s elections, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. However, the government said Sonko could seek a new trial once he is jailed. It was unclear when he would be arrested.
If the violence continues, it could threaten the country’s institutions, analysts say.
“Never in their worst nightmares would Senegalese have expected to witness the prevailing forms of apocalyptic and irrational violence,” said Alioune Tine, founder of Afrikajom Center, a West African think tank.
“The most shared feeling about the current situation is fear, stress, exhaustion and helplessness. Therefore, what people are looking for now is peace,” he said.
The West African country has been seen as a bastion of democratic stability in the region.
Sonko has not been heard from or seen since the verdict. In a statement on Friday, his PASTEF-Patriots party called on Senegalese to “expand and intensify constitutional resistance” until President Sall leaves office.
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Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said the damage caused by months of demonstrations has cost the country millions of dollars. He argued that the protesters themselves posed a threat to democracy.
“These calls (to protest) are somewhat similar to the anti-republican nature of all these movements that hide behind social networks and do not believe in the foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, but also the resources that our (legal) system provides,” Fofana said.
