Tensions have remained high in Senegal after fresh overnight clashes brought the death toll to 15 in the two days since a court convicted opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Sonko’s ongoing legal woes have prompted rare flare-ups of violence continuing into Saturday in Senegal, typically a bastion of stability in West Africa, and foreign allies have urged a return to calm.

Sonko, a 48-year-old former tax inspector, was initially charged with rape but was convicted on a lesser charge of morally “corrupting” a young woman and sentenced to two years in prison.

He claims the charges against him were a bid by the government to torpedo his political career ahead of the presidential election next year. His conviction may take him out of the running for the 2024 poll.

Clashes between Sonko’s supporters and police broke out after the ruling on Thursday, leaving nine people dead. Shops and businesses were ransacked.

The army was deployed to the streets but fresh scuffles erupted on Friday night in parts of the capital, Dakar, and in Ziguinchor. They left another six dead, government spokesman Maham Katol.

The government has acknowledged that it has restricted access to social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter in order to stop “the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages”.

African Union, West African bloc urges restraint

The African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc has condemned the ongoing violence.

Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, “strongly” condemned the violence in a statement.

“Such acts tarnish the image of Senegalese democracy, of which Africa has always been proud,” said Faki, urging all political actors to exercise restraint and dialogue.

The AU urged Senegalese authorities to respect the right to peaceful demonstration.

The ECOWAS deplored the loss of life and called “for restraint and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means.”

“ECOWAS strongly condemns the violence that has targeted security forces, public property, private property and disturbed public order,” it said in a statement.

On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and “urged all those involved to… exercise restraint”.

The European Union and Senegal’s former colonial power France also expressed concern over the violence.

Sonko, who was tried in absentia, has yet to be taken into custody for his jail term, which is predicted to cause further tensions.

He is presumed to be at his Dakar home, where he has been blocked in by security forces since the weekend. He alleges he is being “illegally held”.

Source: TRTworld.com