A police officer tragically lost his life, and several demonstrators were injured on Monday during clashes between security forces and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko in his hometown, according to a statement from the interior ministry and media reports.
The unrest unfolded in Ziguinchor, a town situated in southern Senegal, just a day before Sonko’s highly anticipated rape trial was scheduled to commence in the capital city, Dakar. Sonko has been charged based on allegations made by a woman who claimed that he assaulted her when she was employed at a massage salon.
If convicted, Sonko could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and would be barred from running for the presidency.
Local authorities have reported that a police armoured vehicle accidentally struck and killed the officer while in reverse. The government extended its condolences to the officer’s family, describing the incident as a tragic accident.
The clashes occurred near Sonko’s residence, where he has been staying and vowing to defy any summons to appear in Dakar for the rape trial. Sonko contested against President Macky Sall in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and was elected as the mayor of Ziguinchor last year.
Supporters began gathering outside Sonko’s home on Sunday evening, fearing that the police would attempt to arrest him in order to bring him to court. Messages urging supporters to act as Sonko’s “shields” and protect their leader from arrest have circulated on social media.
Sonko was recently handed a six-month suspended prison sentence in a defamation case and declared that he would no longer respond to court summonses.
During a news conference in Paris on Monday, his legal team informed reporters that Sonko had not yet received a summons but would appear if certain conditions were met.
Senegalese police have deployed additional officers in Ziguinchor and other areas of the country. Clashes broke out on Monday morning between the police and young supporters of Ousmane Sonko in Ziguinchor, Casamance (south), just ahead of the impending rape trial, as confirmed by an AFP correspondent.
Groups of young individuals threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. Sonko’s supporters erected roadblocks in certain streets using stones and logs, while also setting tires ablaze.
Who is Ousmane Sonke?
Sonko, the leader of the Pastef-les Patriotes party, is expected to be in Ziguinchor, the city where he serves as mayor, even as he is summoned to Dakar for his rape trial and charges of making death threats against a beauty salon employee in the capital.
Sonko maintains that he is a target of a political conspiracy aimed at preventing him from participating in the 2024 presidential election. He announced that he would no longer comply with judicial summonses, alleging their instrumentalization against him. As a result, he risks being forcibly brought to court or being tried in absentia.
Many of his supporters assembled around his residence in Ziguinchor on Sunday evening, intending to stay overnight and form a human shield to prevent any attempted arrest, according to media reports.
According to the legal texts, Sonko was supposed to appear at the court registry on Monday in preparation for his trial. Neither his lawyers nor the spokesperson for his party, when asked by AFP, indicated whether he would persist in his refusal to appear.
Sonko has consistently denied the rape allegations and death threats.
His encounters with the justice system have frequently sparked incidents or caused tensions in Dakar. His opponents accuse him of relying on street demonstrations to evade justice and perceive him as an agitator fueling an “insurrectional” agenda.
Image Credit: Seyllou / AFP
