URGENT: Police attack Senegalese National Assembly members and the press corps trying to visit Ousmane Sonko

After Ousmane Sonko, opposition leader was been held in illegal house arrest from this morning, the national assembly member Guy Marius Sagna and several other of his fellow assembly members from the opposition Yewwi Askan Wi parliamentary group came to Cité Keur Gorgui intending to to go to the home of opponent Ousmane Sonko. 

They were prevented from reaching Sonko's house by security forces who immediately opened fire on them with teargas shells. One of the of the teargas shells were fired directly at them, and Guy Marius Sagna, wearing his formal National Assembly member sash, received a direct hit in his leg, causing injury.

When the parliamentaries approached the Police lines, lead by the injured GMS, the Police then turned their attention on the press, journalists and camera crews who were deliberately targeted by volleys of tear gas shells to drive them away from the scene.  There was no provocation and no demonstrators in the vicinity when they were attacked. The press corps were forced out of the area, preventing them from carrying out their professional duties.

It should be recalled that less than 24 hours ago the US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya, on visit to Senegal, had  tweeted  thanking the Senegalese Interior Minister Antoine Diome on their "partnership to promote & institutionalize citizen security, rule of law & respect for human rights principles in law enforcement". 

It would appear that either elements of the Police, and those that command them,  were just waiting for the airplane door to close on her to breech all of those principles , or they had received  the green light that the US would look the other way. Which is it?

URGENT: Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko placed under illegal house arrest

 

Today Senegal's main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has been placed under illegal house arrest by heavily armed members of the security forces. 

Armoured cars, barricades and heavily armed forces have blocked all access roads to his house at Cite Gorgui in Dakar preventing him from driving his son to school.

This measure has been taken  illegally without explanation and without any court order. It follows yesterdays massively successive "giga rally" which brought hundreds of thousands of protesters out to make their voices heard against an unconstitutional third candidature for the sitting president Macky Sall in the 2024 presidential elections. 

Visitors have been prevented from accessing Ousmane Sonko's residence and he is not being allowed to leave even to take his son to school in clear breech of the basic legal right to freedom of movement. No statement or explanation has been issued by the security forces.

This move also follows unprovoked and repeated attacks by security forces with tear gas  on Sonko's convoy as he returned home after the peaceful "giga rally" yesterday evening.

Sendirect TV reported that the member of parliament Guy Marius Sagna has been denied access to visit Ousmane Sonko. He was quoted as saying;

“I inform you that officially President Ousmane Sonko has been illegally placed under house arrest arbitrarily without the order of a judge. I tried a few minutes ago to gain access to Ousmane Sonko's house by all possible access roads. At each police checkpoint I was told 'you cannot access Ousmane Sonko's house' 

Guy went on to say "I strongly denounce the illegal placing of the candidate2024 presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko under illegal and warrantless house arrest  by President Macky Sall who is seeking to run for an illegal and illegitimate 3rd term and to also determine which candidates can run against him. This will not pass! “

APR militant issues violent threats with impunity against opposition leader Ousmane Sonko

 

Amadou NIANG a militant of the APR party of Macky Sall made direct threats of violence against President Ousmane Sonko, opposition leader of the PASTEF party, 11 months before the presidential election.

His threat to "burn Ousmane Sonko's house down" was made at a public meeting whilst standing next to the Minister of Youth Pape Malick Ndour.  (link)

This is not the first violent threat made by members of the ruling party against the opposition. 

Ameth Suzane Camara an APR cadre went on social media to say that "Ousmane Sonko should be killed" (link)

In December a ruling BBY coalition member of parliment threaten the opposition by saying in relation to the coming presidential election "In 2024 we will march on your corpses" (link)

No legal measures, summonses or arrests have been taken in relation to these and other threats, however over a hundred opposition supporters are detained in prison for "opinion crime" - saying something which displeases the regime and includes a leading court journalist and someone who spent months in prison for sharing a satirical post on facebook with an laughing emoji.

President Sall Is Risking Senegal Stability as Gas Boom Nears, Rival Says

 Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko addresses a "Giga rally" on  14/03/202 against the 3rd candidature of Mack Sall

From Bloomberg

ByKatarina Hoije and Momar Niang

14 March 2023

As Senegal readies for an oil and gas boom, President Macky Sall is putting the country’s stability at risk by refusing to rule out running for a third term, according to his main political challenger. 

Political tensions have risen since the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar alliance had its parliamentary majority reduced to one seat in a legislative vote in July. Ousmane Sonko, leader of the opposition African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, or Pastef-Patriotes in French, has been charged with rape in what he says is a case designed to prevent him from running in elections next year. He’s also being sued for defamation in a lawsuit that could see him barred. 

While Senegal has never suffered a military coup since independence from France in 1960, unlike many in the region, there’s been political unrest in the past. Sall’s rise to power in 2012 came on the back of nationwide protests against then-president Abdoulaye Wade’s attempt to run for a third term, which is barred by the constitution. 

It’s up to the president to “deescalate the situation,” Sonko, 48, said in a March 10 interview in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, referencing deadly riots in March 2021 that followed his arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting and threatening a beauty salon employee. “Let’s hope the actors can come to their senses before we cross the red line.”

Sall, 61, won a run-off vote after the Constitutional Court of Senegal ruled that Wade was allowed to stand because his first term didn’t count under the new constitution

Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko attacked by security forces as US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights leaves town

Following the finish of  the Yewwi Askan Wi "Giga meeting" in Dakar today, where hundreds of thousand of people had met peacefully to express their discontent with the Macky Sall government , the cortege of the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, returning home, was again subject to unprovoked attacked by elements of the security forces  with tear gas shells. It should be recalled that a month ago Ousmane Sonko's convoy was similarly blocked and attacked by security forces when returning home from a court appearance. On that occasion his vehicle window was smashed and he was forcibly removed by Gendarmes in order to be take home "for his own safety", images of which shocked viewers around the world. 

Earlier on in the day US  Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya on a visit to Senegal tweeted that she had been "Thrilled" to meet President Macky Sall to "discuss shared priorities on democracy, human rights, security, & Senegal’s vibrant democratic tradition".

It remains to be seen what her view will be on such a deliberate breech of Senegal's "democracy, human rights, security, & Senegal’s vibrant democratic tradition" when there are such irresponsible and blatant unprovoked violent attacks by "security" forces. Video footage shows heavily armoured police, mounting roadblocks and firing teargas at and into vehicles peacefully making their way home, including at a passing ambulance and into neighbouring houses.

These attacks follows a meeting yesterday when members of president |Macky Sall's party made threats to burn down opposition leader Sonko's house whilst standing next to the Minister for Youth  without any sanction.

Live footage of the attack can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvk7xfOKSzM