Days under high tension in perspective in Senegal where risky demonstrations are to take place Wednesday 29 March and Thursday 30 in Dakar despite their prohibition by the authorities, before the trial Thursday of one of its leaders, Ousmane Sonko.

The Yewwi Askan Wi (YAW, Free the People in Ouolof language) coalition called on Senegalese to join a peaceful march Wednesday afternoon in Dakar, the day before the scheduled trial of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, prosecuted by Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, an official of the presidential party, for "defamation, insults and forgery".

Ousmane Sonko and his supporters accuse the government of instrumentalizing justice to prevent him from running for president in February 2024. The presidential party accuses Ousmane Sonko of wanting to paralyze the country and use the street to escape justice.

The prefect of Dakar banned demonstrations on Wednesday and Thursday in the capital, citing "real threats of disturbances to public order".

In anticipation of possible unrest, the University of Dakar and Senegalese schools have brought forward the start of the Easter holidays to Tuesday, instead of April 1 and March 31 respectively.

"Subversive acts"

The judiciary also announced Tuesday that it had arrested members of a group that aimed, according to them, to "sow chaos and insurrection" in the country to prevent the trial Thursday in Dakar of Ousmane Sonko.

Investigations have established "facts involving the stability of the country. The intention (of this group) was to carry out subversive acts and harm public figures in the judiciary, the state apparatus, in religious circles and the press," said Attorney General Ibrahima Bakhoum during a meeting with the press.

They made it possible to discover "the making" by this group of "explosive products, smoke, Molotov cocktails and harrows" and a trip of its members to obtain weapons in a sub-regional market near Guinea, said Ibrahima Bakhoum.

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Attorney General of the Senegalese © Republic France 24

Four people were arrested for "criminal association, acts and maneuvers likely to disturb public order, arson" and 19 are wanted, according to the prosecutor general.

One of the arrested individuals "claims to be from the MFDC (the independence rebellion in Casamance) and would be the organizer of all the violent demonstrations of Pastef (Ousmane Sonko's party) in Bignona", a stronghold of Ousmane Sonko in the south where a young man was killed on March 20 during clashes between demonstrators and police.

This individual "presents himself as the person in charge of Sonko's mystical cases," said the prosecutor.

At least one other person was killed in clashes in Dakar on March 16, the day of the start of Ousmane Sonko's trial, which was postponed until Thursday.

In June 2022, the government announced the arrest of rebels from Casamance in Dakar during an opposition demonstration, which was refuted by Ousmane Sonko.

With AFP

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