Senegal: Opposition Leader Sonko In Police Custody As Clashes Erupt

Angered by opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s arrest, his
supporters took part in the worst civil unrest in the West African
country in years.

At least four people have been killed in violent clashes in
Senegal over the past few days between police and supporters of
detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, the interior minister
said on Friday.

The leader of the Pastef party, Sonko appeared before court on
Friday to defend himself against rape charges that he claims are
politically motivated.

His court appearance sparked renewed clashes, the latest as part
of protests that have taken place on a daily basisin the West
African countrysince Wednesday.

“The government regrets the loss of four lives” in events “that
are rooted in banditry and insurrection”, Interior Minister Antoine
Felix Abdoulaye Diome said on television. He accused Sonko of
“issuing calls to violence.”

What has sparked the clashes in Senegal?
Sonko’s largely younger supporters are angry at his arrest and the
court case against him.

The 46-year-old devout Muslim is considered a key potential
challenger to incumbent President Macky Sall in elections in three
years time.

Presidents in the former French colony are limited to two
consecutive terms, but Sall launched a constitutional review in
2016, raising suspicions he intends to run for a third term.

Critics say the rape charge against Sonko was fabricated to get
him out of the way should Sall decide to change the constitution
and run for a third term.

Other rivals have been targeted with criminal charges in the
past, including former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade, the
son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, eliminating both from the
2019 presidential race.

The latest unrest kicked off on Wednesday when Sonko traveled to
court to defend the rape charge. His supporters followed him,
sounding horns and singing.

Sonko was arrested before reaching the court for disturbing
public order, causing clashes between police and his supporters to
erupt.

Key moments during the clashes
On Friday police fired tear gas at protesters.

Authorities had also banned motorcycles and mopeds, often ridden
by Sonko’s young supporters, from the streets of the capital city
Dakar.

Angry protesters attacked the headquarters of state-owned media
Le Soleil and radio station RFM on Thursday evening for their close
government ties.

For their part, authorities suspended two private television
stations, Sen TV and Walf TV, for 72 hours from 5 p.m. on Thursday,
with government officials accused them of “stirring up hatred and
violence.”

The protests have been spearheaded by the “Y En A Marre” (Enough
is Enough) protest movement.

Reports of an internet blackout
Internet monitor NetBlocks said social media and messaging apps
including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Youtube had been restricted early
ahead of Friday demonstrations.

“It’s true that all of last night, beginning at 9 p.m. [local
time, 21:00 UTC] my WhatsApp connection stopped working properly.
But at the same time, I also did not experience any difficulties
sending emails,” DW correspondent Robert Ade reported from
Dakar.

DW digital security expert Oliver Linow tweeted that the demand
for so-called Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent social
media platform blocks had risen in Senegal, according to Google
Trends.

He advised internet users to “only install trustworthy VPN apps”
or to “use Tor” — otherwise known as the onion router, Tor is a
free software helps users conceal their location while on the
internet.

Angered by opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s arrest, his
supporters took part in the worst civil unrest in the West African
country in years.

At least four people have been killed in violent clashes in
Senegal over the past few days between police and supporters of
detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, the interior minister
said on Friday.

The leader of the Pastef party, Sonko appeared before court on
Friday to defend himself against rape charges that he claims are
politically motivated.

His court appearance sparked renewed clashes, the latest as part
of protests that have taken place on a daily basisin the West
African countrysince Wednesday.

“The government regrets the loss of four lives” in events “that
are rooted in banditry and insurrection”, Interior Minister Antoine
Felix Abdoulaye Diome said on television. He accused Sonko of
“issuing calls to violence.”

What has sparked the clashes in Senegal?
Sonko’s largely younger supporters are angry at his arrest and the
court case against him.

The 46-year-old devout Muslim is considered a key potential
challenger to incumbent President Macky Sall in elections in three
years time.

Presidents in the former French colony are limited to two
consecutive terms, but Sall launched a constitutional review in
2016, raising suspicions he intends to run for a third term.

Critics say the rape charge against Sonko was fabricated to get
him out of the way should Sall decide to change the constitution
and run for a third term.

Other rivals have been targeted with criminal charges in the
past, including former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade, the
son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, eliminating both from the
2019 presidential race.

The latest unrest kicked off on Wednesday when Sonko traveled to
court to defend the rape charge. His supporters followed him,
sounding horns and singing.

Sonko was arrested before reaching the court for disturbing
public order, causing clashes between police and his supporters to
erupt.

Key moments during the clashes
On Friday police fired tear gas at protesters.

Authorities had also banned motorcycles and mopeds, often ridden
by Sonko’s young supporters, from the streets of the capital city
Dakar.

Angry protesters attacked the headquarters of state-owned media
Le Soleil and radio station RFM on Thursday evening for their close
government ties.

For their part, authorities suspended two private television
stations, Sen TV and Walf TV, for 72 hours from 5 p.m. on Thursday,
with government officials accused them of “stirring up hatred and
violence.”

The protests have been spearheaded by the “Y En A Marre” (Enough
is Enough) protest movement.

Reports of an internet blackout
Internet monitor NetBlocks said social media and messaging apps
including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Youtube had been restricted early
ahead of Friday demonstrations.

“It’s true that all of last night, beginning at 9 p.m. [local
time, 21:00 UTC] my WhatsApp connection stopped working properly.
But at the same time, I also did not experience any difficulties
sending emails,” DW correspondent Robert Ade reported from
Dakar.

DW digital security expert Oliver Linow tweeted that the demand
for so-called Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent social
media platform blocks had risen in Senegal, according to Google
Trends.

He advised internet users to “only install trustworthy VPN apps”
or to “use Tor” — otherwise known as the onion router, Tor is a
free software helps users conceal their location while on the
internet.