The Senegalese government restored access to mobile internet on Tuesday (June 6th), cut off in some areas after several days of riots last week, which left at least 16 dead. At the same time, the authorities announced the temporary closure of the country's consulates general abroad, following attacks on a number of them.

The violence on the national territory was triggered by the sentencing of Ousmane Sonko, fierce opponent of Macky Sall and presidential candidate of 2024, to two years in prison in a case of morality. The conviction has also led to protests abroad, sometimes violent.

The closure of consulates is "a precautionary measure" that "follows the series of aggressions recently perpetrated against Senegal's diplomatic and consular missions abroad, particularly in Paris, Bordeaux (France), Milan (Italy) and New York," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement published on social networks.

He reports "serious damage", especially in Milan where the machines for producing passports and identity cards were, according to him, destroyed.

Consulates will reopen "when material and security conditions permit," he said. This closure deprives hundreds of thousands of Senegalese abroad of consular services such as assistance or the issuance of passports.

>> Read also: Ousmane Sonko, the fierce opponent who dreams of succeeding Macky Sall

"Worrying sign" for the presidential election

Between 1 and 3 June, Senegal experienced its worst troubles in years after the conviction of Ousmane Sonko, a popular figure in youth and disadvantaged backgrounds, who should now be ineligible for the 2024 presidential election.

The opponent has not ceased to cry the plot of the power to exclude him from the election, which the power denies.

The authorities and the opposition have blamed each other for the violence. The presidential camp invoked calls for "insurrection" launched, according to him, by Ousmane Sonko to escape justice. He denounced the unrest as an enterprise to destabilize the state.

Rights group Human Rights Watch called for an immediate "independent and credible" investigation into the violence.

It also noted in a statement that "excessive use of force and arbitrary arrests" have become commonplace since 2021, and that in recent months authorities have "cracked down on members of the opposition, the media and dissent."

She sees in the recent rampage a "worrying sign" for the presidential election.

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Accusations of "authoritarian drift"

On Monday, three renowned Senegalese intellectuals, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Boubacar Boris Diop and Felwine Sarr, blamed the violence on the "authoritarian drift" of President Macky Sall and the project they attribute to him to run for a third term in 2024, despite the constitutional objections of many.

An adviser to the president, Yoro Dia, responded in an op-ed on the online media by criticizing them for a "fundamentally partisan" text that ignores the "permanent calls for insurrection" by Ousmane Sonko's party.

"This text, unlike Zola's 'J'accuse' which was like a 'cracking of a match in a dark night' to speak like Mbougar, will be like the tracks of a camel in a sandstorm," he said.

The head of state has so far kept silent on the events, despite calls for a speech on his part.

He paid an unannounced visit late Monday night to the Khalif General of the Murids, a powerful religious brotherhood, the government daily Le Soleil reported. The Khalif, Serigne Mountakha Mbacké, and religious dignitaries are considered to wield considerable influence in politics.

The content of the discussions was not disclosed. But "the wisdom of his advice (from the Khalif) in certain situations can contribute to the return of peace and stability in Senegal," says Le Soleil.

With AFP

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