Senegal: Leadership drifting towards authoritarianism

As reported by Al-Jazeera on 4 June 2023, the number of civilians killed in the recent violence in Senegal resulting from the conviction of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on 1 June had risen to 15. The opposition leader was convicted of corruption but acquitted of rape of a woman who worked at a massage parlor and of making death threats against her, but his supporters maintain that the accusations are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The recent violence has exposed the leadership’s drift towards authoritarianism as the incumbent seeks re-election to a third term in office.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “For many years, Senegal has been viewed as a beacon of democracy and freedom in West Africa (US State Department, Press Statement, 3 June 2023), however the recent unrest marred with brutality and violence from the police – also including media restrictions such as internet and social media blackouts (Africa News, 4 June 2023) – have tainted the image of the country and could pave the way for violent Islamic militants to take advantage of the political discontent. In a region significantly affected by jihadist violence and military coups, this could make the already precarious situation dire. Christians (who make up 5.1% of the population, according to the World Christian Database, accessed April 2022), both in the country and in the surrounding region, would then be caught up in the growing crisis.”