Senegalese President Macky Sall on Wednesday (March 22nd) asked the government for measures to "preserve public order", after unrest related to a trial of opponent Ousmane Sonko that left at least one dead.

Macky Sall "asked the government to take all appropriate measures to ensure the absolute security of property and people," according to an official statement. He spoke of "the imperative to preserve democratic gains and public order in Senegal", a country that has the reputation of being a rare island of stability in a troubled region.

A man was killed Tuesday in Casamance (south) in clashes between supporters of Ousmane Sonko and police, according to a local elected official and an administrative official.

>> To see - Senegal: unrest in Dakar during the trial of opponent Ousmane Sonko

Since 16 March, the day of the start of the trial of Ousmane Sonko, sued for defamation by Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, incidents have erupted in several cities. The hearing was adjourned to March 30.

Discomfort due to a "toxic product"

Ousmane Sonko left Tuesday the private clinic in Dakar where he had been hospitalized for five days, we learned Wednesday from his party. He said Monday that he received treatment there after a malaise due to a "toxic product" which he said he was sprayed during his transfer forced by the police to the court of Dakar for his trial.

In addition, the police placed Wednesday night in custody the head of communication of the party of Ousmane Sonko, El Malick Ndiaye, for "dissemination of false news likely to discredit the institutions", announced to AFP an official of the political party, Ousseynou Ly. He is accused of a Facebook post talking about an "unknown substance" that would have been "sprayed" on Ousmane Sonko, said Ousseynou Ly.

Minister Niang is suing Ousmane Sonko for defamation, insults and forgery. He accuses him of having stated that he had been singled out by a report of an audit institution for his management of a fund for youth employment in agriculture.

>> To see - Senegal: what do we blame Ousmane Sonko, opposition leader, and what does he risk?

The issue goes far beyond the minister's reputation. The texts in force provide for removal from the electoral rolls, and therefore ineligibility, in certain cases of conviction. Ousmane Sonko is therefore at risk of being declared ineligible for the 2024 presidential election. Macky Sall kept open the question of his candidacy for a third term in 2024, in an interview with the French magazine L'Express on Monday.

Ousmane Sonko and his supporters denounce an instrumentalization of justice by the government to eliminate it politically. In March 2021, the indictment of Ousmane Sonko in another case of alleged rape and his arrest helped spark the worst riots in years in Senegal, which left at least a dozen dead. The trial has not yet taken place.

With AFP

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