ASSESSMENTS

In Senegal, Protests Turn Violent Ahead of Elections

Jun 23, 2022 | 16:58 GMT

Police are seen at the entrance of the street leading to the house of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on June 17, 2022, in Dakar. 

Police are seen at the entrance of the street leading to the house of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on June 17, 2022, in Dakar. 

(SEYLLOU/AFP via Getty Images)

The Senegalese government’s decision to exclude opposition members from upcoming legislative elections will likely prompt more unrest in the short term, increasing political uncertainty and the risk of economic crisis. Violence between protesters and police broke out across the country on June 17 after opposition leaders called for demonstrations against the government’s decision to bar a list of candidates for Senegal’s legislative elections on July 31. Law enforcement blocked access to the home of Ousmane Sonko, the country’s main opposition leader, preventing him from leaving his house in Dakar to join the protests. Police also arrested opposition party ministers Dethie Fall and Mame Diarra Fam, as well as Ahmed Aidara, the mayor of Guediawaye, a sub-region of Dakar. Three people were killed in the violence, including a taxi driver who was shot and killed in Ziguinchor, Casamance, located in southern Senegal. Sonko then issued an ultimatum to President Macky Sall,...

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