Senegal Protesters Clash with Police, Killing At Least 10; Authorities Deploy Military, Block Social Media

The government announced on Friday that nine people were killed in clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. As a result of the violence, authorities have banned the use of several social media platforms.

Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said in a statement that the majority of fatalities occurred in the capital, Dakar, and the southern city of Ziguinchor, where Sonko is mayor.

Fresh Protests Rock Senegal

Several social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, that were utilized by demonstrators to incite violence have been suspended, he said. As confrontations between police and Sonko supporters persisted throughout the city on Friday, the government dispatched the military to certain areas, Fox News reported.

Sonko was found guilty on Thursday of corrupting youth, but acquitted of raping a massage parlor employee and threatening her with death. Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for failing to appear at his Dakar trial. According to his attorney, an arrest warrant for him has not yet been issued.

In response to Thursday's deadly confrontations between protesters and security forces, the government of Senegal announced that it has deployed the military in Dakar and other cities and shut down social media platforms, a rare escalation of tensions in the West African nation.

According to NY Times, protesters took to the streets across the nation of West Africa, shortly after the verdict was announced. Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison in a politically motivated case, according to his supporters.

According to the government, shortly after the verdict, demonstrators clashed with security forces, resulting in the fatalities of at least nine persons. Since Sonko's arrest in 2021 after a massage parlor employee accused him of rape, there have been periodic demonstrations in Senegal.

However, Thursday's violence escalated tensions in Senegal, a generally tranquil nation. In numerous Dakar districts, protesters clashed with security forces, and portions of the city's primary university were damaged. In several cities, supermarkets, trains, and petrol terminals were also destroyed.

Diome stated that the fatalities occurred in Dakar and the southern city of Ziguinchor, where Sonko is the mayor. At least 14 persons were slain in protests following his arrest in 2021.

Confrontations persisted in several Senegalese cities and several Dakar neighborhoods, where schools and many businesses remained closed. Classes for tens of thousands of students were suspended until further notice after multiple faculty buildings at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in the city were incinerated and looted.

Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana stated that the military had been deployed to maintain order. He refused to disclose the number or location of the mobilized forces. Diome, the minister of the interior, deemed it necessary to restrict social media platforms in order to prevent widespread dissemination of incitements to violence and hostility.

More Protests Erupt Over Opposition's Arrest

Per ABC News, Sonko is President Macky Sall's chief rival, and he has urged Sall to declare publicly that he will not run for a third term. Since the verdict was announced, violence has erupted across the nation, with demonstrators hurling rocks, torching vehicles, and constructing barricades in some areas while police fired tear gas.

Reporters from the Associated Press witnessed black fumes and tear gas being discharged throughout the city. The confrontations forced the closure of Dakar's primary university.

In anticipation of further unrest, security forces patrolled the streets and posted guards in front of some supermarkets and stores on Friday. Police prevented anyone from approaching Sonko's residence to maintain its high level of security.

Sonko has been uncontactable since the verdict. Nonetheless, his PASTEF-Patriots party has urged protesters to take to the streets. Human rights organizations have condemned the government's crackdown, which has included arbitrary arrests and social media restrictions.
"These restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information violate international law and cannot be justified by security concerns," Amnesty International declared in a statement.

In keeping with Senegal's long democratic tradition, the French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs stated that it was "extremely concerned by the violence" and urged for a resolution to this crisis.

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