The World Briefly
June 05, 2023The Showdown
Senegal
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Deadly clashes in Senegal left at least nine people dead over the weekend, unrest that came after a court sentenced opposition leader and main presidential contender Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison on charges of “corrupting youth,” the Associated Press reported.
Senegalese police clashed with Sonko’s supporters across the country, prompting the government to order a blanket ban on the use of social media platforms in a bid to curb further violence.
While the court convicted Sonko on Thursday of corrupting youth, it also acquitted him of charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her.
The corrupting youth charge relates to allegations that Sonko had a sexual relationship with the woman, who was under 21 years old at the time, the New York Times noted.
The verdict would ban Sonko from participating in next year’s presidential elections, although the government said he could ask for a retrial once he was imprisoned.
Authorities have yet to issue an arrest warrant against the opposition politician.
Sonko and his supporters counter that the legal proceedings are politically motivated and part of the government’s efforts to derail his candidacy for the 2024 elections.
He is considered President Macky Sall’s main competition, although Senegal’s constitution does not allow the incumbent leader to run for a third term, according to legal analysts.
Sall has not confirmed whether he will run, but he has said that a 2016 constitutional reform reset the clock to zero and gives him the right to seek another term.
The recent ruling and violence have also raised concerns about the situation in Senegal, a West African nation that has long been hailed as a model of political pluralism in a region known for coups and aging leaders trying to remain in power.
Human rights groups and Sall’s opponents have warned in recent years about democratic backsliding in the country, citing the arrest of political opponents and journalists.
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