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Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has called for “much larger” but peaceful anti-government protests after authorities released him on bail after days of violent demonstrations.
His comments at a press conference Monday in the capital Dakar came hours after he was officially charged with rape but released.
By blaming President Macky Sall for his arrest last week, Sonko accused the incumbent leader of seeking to marginalize his future political prospects before the country’s 2024 elections. While Sonko publicly accused the president of plunging Senegal into a crisis without Previously, the opposition leader said his goal was not to remove Sall from power.
“We do not want to take responsibility for undermining our democracy,” he tweeted Monday night. “But let’s be clear, the revolution is underway towards 2024.”
Sonko has called the rape charge politically motivated, and his release on Monday could help ease mounting tensions in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. At least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters last week, according to the human rights group Amnesty International. The Senegalese Red Cross reported that some 235 protesters were injured.
Later on Monday, Sall told Senegalese families that he knew they were suffering amid the COVID-19 economic recession, and that the resulting poverty was only creating more discontent with his government. He agreed to reduce the night curfew that many traders blame for compounding their difficulties.
“I understand your concerns and anger at the difficult life you have to live, primarily due to unemployment accentuated by COVID-19,” Sall said in a televised address to the nation. “But when you loot a business you don’t create jobs, you destroy them.”
The police fire tear gas with reinforcements including APC in the direction of the square of nations pic.twitter.com/Ec7K6Njj77
– Nicolas Haque (@nicolashaque) March 8, 2021
Reporting from Dakar, Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque said the opposition leader’s release earlier in the day was greeted with glee by his supporters, many of whom gathered outside Sonko’s home in the capital city.
“The atmosphere is electrifying, the protests have turned into celebration,” Haque said. “There is a feeling among these protesters that they were able to free Sonko themselves; who challenged the power of the presidency and see their release as their personal victory. “
Later on Monday, security forces in central Dakar fired tear gas to disperse thousands of Sonko supporters. Police fired non-lethal ammunition as protesters blocked streets; some set up barricades and threw objects at the security forces.
“These are unusual scenes,” Haque said. “We rarely see people taking to the streets in such numbers expressing their emotions in that way.”
In the morning, hundreds of people had gathered in front of the field in Dakar, waving flags and chanting “Free Sonko” before starting to march. His supporters have called for three days of nationwide protests this week.
Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, was arrested after a beauty salon employee accused him of raping her. He has denied the accusation and said it was an attempt by Sall to bring a political rival to his knees. The government has denied it.
After Sonko’s arrest last week, protesters set cars on fire, looted shops and threw rocks at police, highlighting long-standing grievances over living standards, unemployment, corruption and inequality.
Clashes had subsided on Saturday, but calls for new demonstrations raised concerns that violence could escalate.
The army is at the center of Dakar as a deterrent force, yet for many this feels intimidating. pic.twitter.com/gBB3ab3o8w
– Nicolas Haque (@nicolashaque) March 8, 2021
Much of Dakar was paralyzed on Monday in anticipation of further unrest, with army tanks patrolling the central streets.
Military vehicles topped with machine guns were stationed in the areas of Dakar where recent clashes took place, and a dozen more were seen passing Independence Square in the heart of the city’s government quarter where the presidential palace is located.
Schools in the capital were ordered closed for a week.
Sparked by Sonko’s arrest, the protests have turned into the worst political unrest the country has seen in years, prompting Senegal’s neighbors and the United Nations to express concern over rising tensions.
Political pressure has mounted on Sall, whose term has been plagued with accusations of unfairly torpedoing his political rivals and fears he may try to extend his rule beyond his assigned two-term limit.
“It’s not just about Sonko. We want Macky to step down, ”shouted a man marching through a crowd Monday.
“The feeling among many of these protesters is that what they are doing is not defending Sonko, but they are defending democracy and the history of stability that this country has,” Haque said.
“They see in this court case against Ousmane Sonko an attempt to eliminate a rival of President Macky Sall,” he added.
Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko hold hands as a sign of non-violence during clashes with security forces in Dakar, Senegal [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]
Ousmane Dialo, an Amnesty West Africa researcher, described the political developments as a “turning point” for Senegal.
“What we have seen in recent days during the protests was not only support for Ousmane Sonko, but also a cry for help from Senegal’s youth for the socio-economic impact of restrictive measures enacted by the government to contain the pandemic, including the night curfew that has seriously affected the most vulnerable population in the informal sector, ”Dialo told Al Jazeera.
“Beyond that, there are also questions about the degradation of political freedoms and civic freedoms … this is indeed a turning point.”
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