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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Mar 2021 : 17:42:58
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https://www.chronicle.gm/senegal-opposition-leader-ousmane-sonko-arrested-on-way-to-court-to-face-rape-charge/
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Senegal Opposition Leader Ousmane Sonko arrested on Way to Court to Face Rape Charge
The Chronicle: On Mar 3, 2021
Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was arrested in the capital Dakar on Wednesday, according to his lawyers, ahead of his scheduled court appearance to face a rape charge.
Hundreds of supporters rallied in the city before the 46-year-old was due to appear before a judge for the charge, which he has claimed is politically motivated.
“He has been notified of his arrest on charges of disturbing public order and participating in an unauthorised demonstration,” one of Sonko’s lawyers, Cheikh Khouraissy, told AFP.
Another of his lawyers, Etienne Ndione, confirmed this account.
Controversy has dogged Sonko since last month, when Senegalese media reported that an employee at a salon where he went to get a massage filed rape charges against him.
The opposition leader challenged President Macky Sall in the 2019 vote, eventually finishing third in a race that delivered the incumbent a second term.
Sonko, the leader of the Pastef party, has denied the charges and accused the president of conspiring to remove him ahead of 2024 elections.
He was due to appear before a judge in Dakar on Wednesday to answer to the rape charge.
However an arrest warrant was issued before he reached the courthouse, Khouraissy, the lawyer, said.
Hundreds of opposition followers had followed his motorcade on the way to the court, sounding car horns and singing traditional songs, AFP journalists saw.
Police officers tried to disperse them by firing tear gas canisters.
The rape allegation against Sonko comes as uncertainty grows over whether Sall, 59, will seek a third term.
Presidents in the former French colony of about 16 million people are limited to two consecutive terms, but Sall launched a constitutional review in 2016, raising suspicions he intends to run again.
Other presidents in West Africa — such as Guinea’s Alpha Conde and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara — have used constitutional changes to win third terms.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2021 : 08:38:20
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WITH VIDEO.
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https://www.chronicle.gm/senegal-opposition-leader-supporters-violently-clash-with-police/
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Senegal Opposition Leader Supporters Violently Clash With Police
The Chronicle: Mar 4, 2021
By Frederic Tendeng
Hundreds of supporters of Senegal’s main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, on Wednesday clashed with police in Dakar, the capital while protesting against his arrest. The widespread support Sonko enjoys among Senegalese youth was on full display on Wednesday. Near his house, supporters burned tyres and threw rocks at riot police, who responded by firing tear gas.
“We are ready to die for Sonko!” some chanted. At Cheikh Anta Diop University in central Dakar, hundreds of students charged the police and threw rocks. A Reuters reporter saw a policeman firing an automatic rifle into the crowd and several others firing shotguns, though it was not clear what rounds were used. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 05 Mar 2021 08:38:51 |
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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2021 : 12:21:21
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htps://www.chronicle.gm/senegal-restricts-internet-as-pro-ousmane-sonko-protests-escalate/
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Senegal Restricts Internet As Pro-Ousmane Sonko Protests Escalate
By Frederic Tendeng on Saturday, March 6, 2021
Following the unrest on Thursday, there are mixed reports of restricted internet access in Senegal. Senegalese police has continued to clash with supporters of detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko this Friday, causing at least three deaths.
The leader of the Pastef party was arrested on Wednesday for disturbing public order ahead of his court appearance on a rape charge in Dakar.
Reports of an internet blackout
Internet monitor NetBlocks said social media and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Youtube had been restricted early on Friday ahead of a planned demonstration by civil society and opposition parties led by protest movement “Y En A Marre” (Enough is Enough).
“It’s true that all of last night, beginning at 9 p.m. [local time, 21:00 UTC] my WhatsApp connection stopped working properly. But at the same time, I also did not experience any difficulties sending Emails,” DW correspondent Robert Ade reported from capital city Dakar.
DW digital security expert Oliver Linow tweeted that the demand for so-called Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent social media platforms blocks had risen in Senegal, according to Google Trends.
He advised internet users to “only install trustworthy VPN apps” or to “use Tor” — otherwise known as the onion router, the free software helps users conceal their location while on the internet.
Another DW correspondent, Mamadou Alpha Diallo reported no internet slowdown in Casamance region, south of the Gambia.
What happened during the unrest?
Hundreds of people followed Sonko’s motorcade on Wednesday, as he traveled to a court to deny rape charges filed against him last month by an employee at a salon where he received massages.
Supporters sounded horns and sang before clashes erupted, and Sonko was arrested before even reaching the court.
Angry protesters attacked the headquarters of state-owned Le Soleil and radio station RFM on Thursday evening for their close government ties.
Authorities suspended two private television stations, Sen TV and Walf TV, for 72 hours from 5 p.m. on Thursday. Government officials accused them of “stirring up hatred and violence.”
The deaths happened after clashes on Thursday in Bignona town in the southern Casamance region, with another casualty in Yeumbeul, the police officials said. On Friday the body of another demonstrator was found in Pikine. Four police were also injured in the fighting.
At Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop University, students on Thursday and Friday threw concrete blocks at police.
The police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, a reporter for news agency AFP reported from the scene.
Who is Ousmane Sonko?
A 46-year-old Muslim, Sonko is frequently critical of Senegal’s ruling elite andis popular with young people.
He ran against President Macky Sall in the 2019 vote but finished third in a race that delivered the incumbent a second term.
Sonko is considered a key potential challenger to Sall in elections in three years.
Presidents in the former French colony are limited to two consecutive terms, but Sall launched a constitutional review in 2016, raising suspicions he intends to run again.
Sonko maintains the charge against him is politically motivated.
What’s next?
Sonko was scheduled to be transferred on Friday to a Dakar courthouse where his case will be heard by a judge, but his lawyers said new charges have been preferred on Sonko.
The streets of Dakar and other regions in Senegal have turned into scenes of violence between demonstrators and the police in all the regions of Senegal.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2021 : 19:21:55
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ECOWAS urges ‘restraint’ after Senegal erupts in protests
‘Descend on streets’: Senegal opposition calls for mass protests
Opposition collective asks supporters to take to streets starting Monday after four people die in demonstrations backing opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
Aljezeera: 6 Mar 2021
An opposition movement in Senegal has called for three days of protests starting on Monday after days of clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
At a news conference on Saturday in the capital, Dakar, the Movement for the Defence of Democracy – which includes the leading opposition party Pastef – urged people to “massively descend on the streets”.
At least four people have died in protests that began on Wednesday before Sonko’s court appearance for questioning on accusations of rape.
The 46-year-old was detained on the way to court and arrested for disturbing public order after hundreds of his supporters clashed with police who were blocking unauthorised protests. His lawyer on Friday said he was now charged with rape and making death threats.
Violent clashes between police and opposition supporters continued in Dakar and elsewhere through Friday, in the worst unrest the country has seen in years, before easing off.
In a statement on Saturday, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for “all parties to exercise restraint and remain calm”.
The West African bloc also urged the government “to take the necessary measures to ease tensions and guarantee the freedom to demonstrate peacefully”.
Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/6/west-africa-bloc-urges-restraint-amid-unrest-in-senegal |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2021 : 16:52:42
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Senegal shuts schools amid violent unrest
Reuters: 07-02-2021
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-senegal-politics-sonko/senegal-shuts-schools-amid-violent-unrest-idUSKBN2AZ0F7
At least five people have died in demonstrations sparked by the arrest on Wednesday of Ousmane Sonko, Senegal’s most prominent opposition leader. It is the worst political unrest in years in a country widely seen as one of West Africa’s most stable.
Sonko, who enjoys strong support among the young, was arrested after an employee of a beauty salon accused him of raping her. Sonko denies the allegation and says it is politically motivated.
Opponents of President Macky Sall have called for further protests on Monday.
The education ministry “strongly recommends that students’ parents keep a close eye on their children and keep them from the risks that come from the protests,” it said in a statement.
Much of Dakar turned into a war zone last week as police clashed with thousands of angry protesters. Many shops, gas stations and banks were closed for days. Large queues formed for petrol and groceries on Sunday, during what is expected to be a brief respite in the unrest.
Political pressure has mounted on President Sall, whose presidency has been plagued by accusations that he unjustly torpedoes political rivals and worries that he may seek to extend his rule beyond his allotted two-term limit.
The economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a nightly curfew to contain its spread have only stoked frustrations.
Pressure increased on Saturday after a 17-year-old boy was killed by gunfire in southern Senegal.
The influential League of Imams and Preachers of Senegal on Sunday called for the release of Sonko and a “return to calm”. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2021 : 22:46:10
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Senegal’s Sall calls for calm; opposition leader urges protests
https://aje.io/x5k4v
Senegal’s Sall calls for calm; opposition leader urges protests
Court releases Ousmane Sonko under judicial supervision pending his rape trial after arrest sparked deadly protests.
Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has called for “much larger” but peaceful anti-government protests after authorities freed him on bail from custody following days of violent demonstrations.
His comments at a news conference on Monday in the capital, Dakar, came hours after he was officially charged with rape but released from detention.
Blaming his arrest last week on President Macky Sall, Sonko accused the incumbent leader of seeking to sideline his future political prospects before the country’s 2024 election. While Sonko publicly accused the president of plunging Senegal into an unprecedented crisis, the opposition leader said his goal was not to force Sall from power.
“We don’t want to take responsibility for undermining our democracy,” he tweeted late Monday. “But let’s be clear, the revolution is on the march toward 2024.”
Sonko has called the rape allegation politically motivated, and his release on Monday could help ease mounting tensions in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. At least eight people died in clashes between security forces and protesters in the past week, according to rights group Amnesty International. The Senegalese Red Cross reported some 235 demonstrators have been injured.
Later on Monday, Sall told Senegalese families he knew they were suffering amid COVID-19’s economic downturn, and that the ensuing poverty was only further creating discontent with his government. He agreed to reduce the nightly curfew that many merchants blame for deepening their hardships.
“I understand your concerns and the anger you feel about the hard life you have to live in, mainly due to the unemployment accentuated by COVID-19,” Sall said in a televised address to the nation. “But when you ransack a business you don’t create jobs, you destroy them.” |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Ousmane Sonko arrested on Way to Court
