Sonko conviction: Senegal on inquiries after deadly unrest

Senegal’s government on Wednesday 7th June 2023 announced “immediate judicial inquiries” into the violent unrest that rocked the country and left at least 16 dead following the conviction of opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko last week.

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Clashes between the security forces and Sonko’s supporters erupted after he was given a two-year sentence in a case he says was designed to stop him running for president next year. Hundreds were injured and hundreds more arrested in two days of unrest from June 1-3. The government said the inquiries would “shed light on those responsible”. It condemned what it called the “extremely serious attacks against the state, the republic and institutions”, saying the violence aimed to “sow terror and bring our country to a standstill”.

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Sonko was convicted for rape charges

President Macky Sall asked the government to take steps to assist “the people and entities that have suffered harm”, the statement said. Sonko’s conviction was the outcome of a two-year case for rape charges that transfixed the country, triggering sporadic unrest that had already claimed a dozen lives. The 48-year-old former tax inspector has spoken out against debt, poverty, food insecurity, under-funded health and education systems and corruption.

He was initially charged with rape but was convicted on a lesser charge of morally “corrupting” a young woman. As it stands, it leaves him ineligible for the 2024 presidential election. Sonko has repeatedly claimed the government is trying to keep him out of the running, which it denies. Supporters of Sonko and Sall have traded blame for the violence and deaths. onko’s ongoing legal woes have prompted rare flare-ups of violence in Senegal, typically a bastion of stability in West Africa.

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© Agence France-Presse