On Thursday, February 16, Senegal experienced a new outbreak of fever in the vicinity of opponent Ousmane Sonko, who was forced out of his car and driven home in an armoured police van after appearing in court. This is the final and most spectacular clash between Ousmane Sonko and the power a year before the presidential election. The election date has been set for Thursday, February 25, 2024.
The images, posted live on social media, show men in helmeted and masked uniforms, clearly gendarmes, surrounding the car in which Mr Sonko is and refuses to leave, on his way back from a defamation trial in Dakar. The outcome of this trial could affect his presidential eligibility.
“Am I under arrest?” Mr Sonko inquires about the gendarmes. The uniformed men respond negatively, stating they have received the order to drive him home. Mr Sonko had previously told a commissioner over the phone that he would only come out if arrested.
A gendarme eventually pulverizes the back window with his elbow. The uniformed men open the door from the outside and extract Mr Sonko by pulling him by the arms; he appears impassive and resists for a few moments before surrendering. Later, images show him getting out of a police van in front of his house.
Displays of strength
These incidents confirm Mr Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election and is running for president in 2024, as the main character of the competition for the time being. Another actor, President Macky Sall, remains ambiguous about whether he intends to override the constitutional objections and run for a third term.
Assume the campaign is still in its early stages. In that case, Mr Sonko, 48, is increasing the number of gatherings that appear to be military demonstrations, while Mr Sall, 61, has been stepping up operations to promote the African Union’s action since 2012.
Mr Sonko, popular among young people in a country where more than half of the population is under the age of 20, has come into conflict with power. Charged with the alleged rape and on trial for defamation on Thursday, he screams at the conspiracy to dismiss him and the instrumentalization of justice by President Sall’s power, which the latter denies. On the eve of his trial, Mr Sonko was spreading attacks against Mr Sall, “who imagines he can enslave the country where the colonist and others before him have failed”.
Many opposition rallies have been banned in recent months by authorities. Hundreds of Mr Sonko’s supporters, as well as activists, have been arrested in recent weeks. Last week, clashes, looting, and looting erupted in Mbacké after a rally in support of Mr Sonko was prohibited. On Thursday morning, the police, who were in large numbers at Mr Sonko’s summons, fired tear gas at his supporters who attempted to enter the courtroom where he was on trial.
The trial has been postponed until March 16.
Mr Sonko is being sued by the Minister of Tourism, Mame Mbaye Niang, for “defamation, insults and falsehood”. The trial was postponed to March 16 after it began.
Mr Sonko travelled with a large crowd to a summons before a judge in an alleged rape case in March 2021. His arrest on the way had contributed to the worst riots in Senegal in years. A dozen people died as a result of the riots. Mr Sonko was referred to the court in this case by Justice in January. There is no set a date for the trial.
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