Senegal: opponent Ousmane Sonko speaks at length to the press

Audio 01:24

Photo taken in March 2021. Political opponent Ousmane Sonko won the town hall of Ziguinchor in local elections on January 23, 2022. AP - Sylvain Cherkaoui

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

In Senegal, opponent Ousmane Sonko, deputy and president of the Pastef party, elected mayor of Ziguinchor at the end of January, spoke on the evening of Friday March 11 during a long television interview with several national media.

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With our correspondent in Dakar,

Ousmane Sonko notably returned to the court case, at the origin of the deadly riots of March 2021, namely the complaint for rape filed against him by Adji Sarr.

Asked by RFI, Ousmane Sonko did not respond to our requests for an interview on this case.

A year after the demonstrations which left at least 13 dead, Ousmane Sonko has once again denounced a " 

 " and maintains his radical line of " 

 " to the regime of Macky Sall.

The interview with five journalists, in the Wolof language - a claimed choice - lasted two and a half hours.

Asked about the legal case in which he is charged, Ousmane Sonko reaffirms it: “ 

.

There is nothing in this file that can worry me,” he said.

Showing, facing the camera, his diplomatic passport, the leader of Pastef, still under judicial control, requests the return of his ordinary passport.

Read also: Senegal: Adji Sarr comes out of silence a year after his accusations against Ousmane Sonko

Faithful to his sovereignist and anti-colonialist discourse, the new mayor of Ziguinchor reconsiders his decision to rename the streets of his city bearing the names of French personalities.

He promises, if he is elected to the presidency, to " 

 ".

He also accuses France of being behind the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, in Mali, while ensuring: "

 ".

A line without concession, with in perspective, the legislative elections of July and especially the next presidential one.

While President Macky Sall remains unclear about a possible candidacy for a third term, Ousmane Sonko assures him: his next meeting with the Head of State will be " 

 ", he said.

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• Senegal

• Justice