Senegal's main city of Dakar was rocked by new protests on Thursday, June 1, after an influential opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was given a two-year prison term for corrupting youth. Therefore, this ends his prospects of running for president in 2024.
Political Implications
Sonko, now 48 years old, was accused of raping and threatening to kill a 20-year-old masseuse in 2021. He claims the accusations against him are based on political motives and that he is innocent.
Sonko was found not guilty of rape, as reported by CNN. However, he was found guilty of immoral conduct with minors or individuals younger than 21, which is a different crime under the penal code.
According to electoral rules in Senegal, this might exclude him from voting in the next elections in February 2024.
Bamba Cisse, one of Sonko's attorneys, said that the punishment disqualified him from running for office.
Meanwhile, university legal professor Ndiack Fall said that Sonko has the right to request a new trial if he turns himself in.
Plagued by Violent Demonstrations
Since 2021, when the rape allegation first came to light, the nation in West Africa has been plagued by violent demonstrations.
According to a Reuters report, the accusations have been slammed by Sonko's supporters, who see it as an attempt to prevent him from competing in the next election. The official government and legal establishments, however, deny this.
The African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF) party, which is run by Sonko, has claimed that the ruling is part of a political scheme. The group has urged the public to go to the streets in protest.
Demonstrators attacked riot police with rocks and set fire to buses on a key university campus, releasing a cloud of thick black smoke. Cops reportedly fired tear gas.
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Sonko vs. Sall
Sonko, a former tax inspector who placed third in the last election, is capitalizing on people's growing dissatisfaction with President Macky Sall, who was first elected in 2012.
There have been rumblings that Sall may try to run for president again next year despite the fact that he has already served two terms. His critics claim he has failed to generate employment and has shut down the opposition. Sall has neither verified nor refuted these claims.
In response to Sonko's appeals for protest over his legal troubles, many young people have taken to the streets, resulting in security crackdowns and the deaths of several protesters.
Riots are rather regular in Senegal, and they tend to spike just before elections. Although Senegal is often considered one of the most successful democracies in West Africa, Sall's second term has been unusually contentious.
In a separate case, Sonko is contesting a libel conviction that resulted in a six-month suspended jail term. The impact of the lawsuit on his presidential campaign is unclear at this time.
