Senegal has been one of Africa’s most stable democracies for a long time. However, On February 3, the President, Macky Sall, announced he would postpone the presidential election.
After this announcement, on the 5th, Senegal’s parliament signed to delay it formally. Meaning, the previously scheduled election date of February 25, may now be postponed till December 15.
Senegal’s Civil Unrest
On February 4, Senegalese civilians held protests over parliament’s, The Nation Assembly’s, decision. The protesters took to the country’s capital, Dakar. Opposition leaders who also opposed the decision had rallied for the citizens to protest what they felt was a direct opposition to the Constitution.
During the protest at Dakar, there were a few opposition leaders who were arrested. One of the leaders was former Prime Minister Aminata Touré and presidential candidate Anta Babacar Ngom.
The former Prime Minister spoke on parliament’s decision. She stated, “For a long time, they have sabotaged the process. This is the first time that a presidential election has been postponed in Senegal.”
Among the political figures were a multitude of Senegalese civilian arrests. At least 266 people were arrested in the country. Protestors were beaten and had tear gas used against them. The violence at the protest had even cost three individuals their lives.
Amongst all of the chaos that had occurred, the government cut the signal to the private Walf television channel that was broadcasting the protest live. This action gained the attention of the Global Committee to Protect Journalists.
The committee cursed the action and took to social media to call out the censorship of journalism.
Lastly, mobile internet access was shut off for the second time in the month during the protest.
Senegalese officials stated the cause to be to snuff out the spread of “hateful and subversive messages which have caused violent demonstrations with deaths and significant material damage.”
Cause of the Protest
Although there were three casualties in the protest at Dakar on the 4th, these aren’t the first deaths to happen during a Senegalese protest. This is due to the ongoing friction between opposition supporters and the police.
In 2023, there was a recorded death toll of 15 due to violence at protests and riots. This total included 13 civilians and two police officers. During these protests, rocks were thrown, roads were barricaded, tires were set on fire, and protestors were arrested, and tear-gassed.
The cause for the protest was the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. A leader who was convicted of corrupting youth.
In the Senegalese 2019 election, he had come into third place. Sonko was favored by many youths and seen as the highest competition against President Macky Sall.
Supporters of Ousmane Sonko maintain the belief that his imprisonment was done so that he could be barred from the election. This belief didn’t only include Sonko but other election runners who had been barred from the election.
Some believe the delay was also an attempt on Sall’s part to hold office for as long as possible. President Macky Sall had run for two terms in Senegal and protest arose at the idea of him running for yet another term. The delay of the election leaves him to be the seat holder as president until another it selected. However, Sall had tried to assure the people that he didn’t want to run again. He stated, “I am absolutely seeking for nothing except to leave a country in peace and stability.” Although he tried to sway the public they weren’t very convinced.
The on-and-off ongoing violence and unrest have garnered the attention of other countries and even the UN.
Senegal’s Unrest Worries Others
The situation in Senegal seems to have a terrible end in sight. Neither current President Macky Sall nor the people seem to want to back down from their positions. This unrest has garnered the worry of France, the United States, and even the United Nations.
Liz Throssell, High Commissioner for the UN, said that Senegal needs to uphold their political stance on democracy and respect for human rights. She had also called for an investigation into the deaths of the three protesters and the arrest of journalists at the February 4 protest.
Another UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also expressed how the government needs to decide what to do with an all-inclusive conversation that takes into account opposition groups, women, children, men, rich, and poor, and the marginalized.
The French Foreign Ministry has also urged the Senegalese government to set an election date as soon as possible. The Ministry also told them to hold back on excessive force when dealing with the public and their protests. France also released a press release giving condolences to the friends and families of those who died during the unrest.
The US also surprisingly gave a press release stating its’ concerns with how the protestors were dealt with. Furthermore, the US has dealt with its fair share of protests and unfortunately excessive force.
Written By Arianna Rathers
Sources:
AP News-Senegal’s president defends delaying elections in exclusive interview as protests erupt nationwide
CNN-UN raises alarm over escalating tensions in Senegal after election delay
AP News-Death toll from Senegal protests rises to 15 as opposition supporters clash with police
Featured Image by Jeff Attaway’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by Jeff Attaway’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
