Report

'I loved him so much': in Senegal, with a bereaved family after protests

In Senegal, the latest assessment reports about fifteen deaths since the beginning of the demonstrations following the conviction of Ousmane Sonko on Thursday. Amnesty International is concerned about the disproportionate use of force. Some witnesses say they saw police firing live ammunition at protesters.

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A woman walks past a fire during a protest in Dakar, June 1, 2023. AFP - GUY PETERSON

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With our correspondents in Dakar, Juliette Dubois and Charlotte Idrac

Visitors follow one another to offer their condolences. The Sène family lost the youngest of the siblings. Hit by a bullet Thursday night during violent demonstrations, Sérigne Fallou Sène is taken to the hospital in a cart. His brother Mame Cheikh Ibra went to the scene to identify him: "He took a bullet. The wound was 11 or 12 cm deep in the left lung. So he died instantly. As he is a child, he sees that all the children are walking, he thinks it is a game. So he was accompanied by his friends to go see the crowd."

Mame and Sérigne's mother is devastated. She had asked the boy not to go out, she feared the excesses: "He was 15 years old, he was born in 2007. He was a harmless boy. He had a big heart, he didn't mean harm to anyone. In all his life, I have never seen him fighting. I loved him so much, I believed in him, he had a lot of qualities."

Fatimata Lo, the mother of Serigne Fallou Sène, a 15-year-old boy shot dead, shows a photo of her son. © RFI / Juliette Dubois

Now, Serigne Falou's family wants to understand what happened. "We are looking at the cameras and the people filming, where the ball comes from. We are waiting for the time to do the autopsy to know where the number comes from and the number of the bullet he took, "explains Mame Cheikh Ibra Sène. The autopsy is scheduled for early next week.

>> READ ALSO: Tension in Senegal: 15 dead, in two days, according to a new official assessment

"I donate blood, it saves lives"

The number of wounded has not yet been communicated, but to meet the needs of hospitals, young people have mobilized en masse to give blood in Dakar. The waiting room is full at the National Blood Transfusion Centre (NSCW). Registration paper in hand, Oumou Diallo has been waiting for long hours: "I give blood, it saves lives, it's my way of helping. On the other side, I was told that there are more bags, so I hope to be able to donate blood here.

Seydina Ababacar Ngom is a member of one of the associations that initiated this blood donation day: "Today, we have our registration list increased to 500 people, we continue to receive some. "

For some, this is the first time, for others like Dr. Babacar Fall, a habit: "We see that the emergency services are overwhelmed. Currently, there is a shortage of blood stock." Bashir relayed the call on social networks, access to which has been restricted. "I didn't understand the minister. How can you cut off the internet and then talk live on the internet?" he asks.

Blood donations to the CNTS will resume on Monday. "We have a lot of loss of life. All young people should come here to give blood, we need all the Senegalese youth for this patriotic struggle," concludes one man.

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