Harare — The interior ministry of Senegal has disbanded Ousmane Sonko’s political party for inciting disorder among his supporters during last month’s violent protests, which resulted in clashes between protesters and police in the country’s capital, Dakar, according to Al Jazeera.
The government charged the party leaders with “frequently calling on its supporters to insurrectional movements, which has led to serious consequences, including loss of life, many wounded, as well as acts of looting of public and private property” in a decree signed by Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome.
“The latest are the serious disturbances to public order recorded during the first week of June 2023, after those of March 2021,” the decree read.
The dissolution of the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF) party was the most recent development in a protracted conflict between President Macky Sall’s government and Sonko’s PASTEF. Sonko’s PASTEF supporters claim that Sall has used false accusations to discredit Sonko ahead of a February election.
On Monday, protesters re-took the streets of Dakar in response to Sonko’s remand in custody on charges including insurrection planning.
The newly filed charges include stealing, spreading false information, criminal connection with a group that supports terrorism, and undermining state security.
“Dear compatriots, I just got unfairly placed on a deportation warrant. I always put my trust in God If the Senegalese people, for whom I have always fought, abdicate and decide to leave me in the hands of Macky Sall’s regime, I will submit, as always, to the divine will,” Sonko said in a statement.
“If the Senegalese people, for whom I have always fought, abdicate and decide to leave me in the hands of Macky Sall’s regime, I will submit, as always, to divine will,” he said.
Sonko continued his hunger strike on Monday, according to his attorneys.
In May, 2023, Sonko was given a suspended six-month sentence in his appeal against a defamation and public insult conviction in the case between him and Minister Mame Mbaye Niang.
On June 1, 2023, Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “corrupting young people”. Spontaneous and violent demonstrations broke out that same day in a number of towns, including Dakar, Ziguinchor and Kaolack.
After collecting testimonies and documenting the deaths that took place during the demonstrations in Senegal, Amnesty International called on the Senegalese authorities to immediately carry out an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 23 people, including three children, during the violent demonstrations on 1 and 2 June 2023, and to shed light on the presence of armed civilian personnel operating alongside the security forces.
Many believe that the judiciary is preoccupied with silencing opponents of the regime rather than examining alleged financial crimes against members of the presidential camp.
On July 3, Sall said that he will not run for a third term in 2024 elections, putting an end to months of speculation that he would seek re-election despite a two-term limit. The political atmosphere improved as a result of Sall’s decision after a year of sporadic unrest and violent protests in the typically peaceful West African country.
Sonko says the country would face “indescribable chaos” if he is unable to contest next year’s presidential election, according to France24.
“There will be no elections in this country, or there will be indescribable chaos if President Macky Sall uses judicial tricks to prevent my candidacy,” Sonko reportedly said.
Sall, elected president in 2012 and 2019, is constitutionally limited to two terms. Despite this, his supporters argue that the 2016 Constitutional change reset his term count, positioning him to run in the 2024 presidential polls.