Nine people were reportedly killed Friday, June 2, in conflicts between police and followers of the convicted Senegalese opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. In response, authorities have banned the usage of many social media sites.
According to ABC News, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome noted in a statement that the majority of the murders took place in Dakar and the southern city of Ziguinchor, where Sonko serves as mayor.
Diome claimed that Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, among others, have been blocked as these platforms were being used by protesters to instigate violence.
"The state of Senegal has taken every measure to guarantee the safety of people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the country," Diome stated.
Ousmane Sonko's Conviction
On Thursday, June 1, Sonko was deemed guilty of corrupting youth but found not guilty of raping and threatening to kill a massage parlor employee. He was given a two-year jail term by the judge.
Sonko was found guilty in absentia since he did not show up for his Dakar trial. According to his attorney, no arrest warrant had been filed for the politician at that time.
Young people in Senegal overwhelmingly support Sonko, who finished third in the country's 2019 presidential election. His supporters say the government is trying to destroy him in the courts so they cannot vote for him in the 2024 presidential election.
Bamba Cisse, another defense attorney, claimed that if Sonko were convicted, he would be unable to participate in the next election under Senegalese law. The government has said, however, that Sonko has the right to request a new trial once he is incarcerated.
In light of Sonko's prominence as a potential rival to current President Macky Sall, Sall has been pushed to openly announce that he would not run for a third term.
Nationwide Outbreak of Violent Conflict
Clashes have broken out around the nation after the verdict was announced. Protestors reportedly hurled rocks, torched cars, and constructed barricades in certain areas while police shot tear gas. The city was filled with plumes of black smoke and the hiss of tear gas canisters being discharged.
The major university in Dakar had to close because of the fighting. On Friday, AP News reporters saw an extensive evacuation of students from the university grounds, with many of them carrying their belongings on their heads.
This is the second time the university has been closed due to protests related to Sonko, according to the 25-year-old master's student Saliou Bewe, but this time is much worse. In 2021, at least 14 people were murdered in confrontations after police detained Sonko for disrupting public order.
On Friday, police officers were seen walking the streets and standing guard outside of certain stores in case of more violence.