the prime minister calls for revenge for his “attacked” activists

The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, called for revenge after the violence carried out, according to him, against his supporters before the parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday, attracting the wrath of the opposition, which denounced a “call for murder”.

Mr. Sonko, head of the list of the party of African Patriots of Senegal for work, ethics and fraternity (Pastef) in the legislative elections and head of government since April, reported on the night of Monday to Tuesday on his Facebook account attacks suffered by his camp in Dakar, Saint-Louis (North) and Koungueul (Center).

He blames them on supporters of Dakar Mayor Barthélémy Dias, who leads a competing coalition in Sunday's legislative elections, and was convicted of the shooting death of a person in 2011 amid political violence.

The Senegalese are called to elect a new Assembly after the dissolution, pronounced in September by the new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, of the Parliament resulting from the 2022 elections and still dominated by the camp of the former president, Macky Sall.

Pastef is aiming for a majority, which would allow Mr. Faye, winner of the presidential election in March, and Mr. Sonko to implement their promises of rupture and transformation of the State.

“That each of the attacks suffered by [le] On their part since the beginning of the campaign, let each patriot they have attacked and injured be proportionately avenged. We will exercise our legitimate right to respond”Mr. Sonko said on Facebook. “Barthélémy Dias and his coalition must no longer campaign in this country”he said.

“If the State does not solve this problem, we will do it ourselves”

At the start of the campaign, “I called the Ministers of the Interior and Justice as a candidate. Three assaults, zero arrests. It’s the bankruptcy of the state.”declared Mr. Sonko on Monday in Wolof, in a video viewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on local television.

Mr. Sonko was speaking in Rufisque, near Dakar, after the incidents in Saint-Louis. He accused opponents of having “violently attacked and injured” his supporters in this city with “knives, sabers and tear gas grenades”. “I once again call on the State of Senegal. A state must not be weak. I have questioned Mr. President of the Republic several times. If the State does not resolve this problem, we will do it ourselves and we have the means to do it”a dit M. Sonko.

A gathering of Pastef activists is planned for Tuesday afternoon around the home of the mayor of Dakar, a party official told AFP.

“Ousmane Sonko is desperately trying to muzzle democracy,” denounces a competing coalition

Mr. Dias' coalition, Samm Sa Kaddu, denounced in a message published on social networks a “call for murder assumed by the current Senegalese Prime Minister”. She says she herself was targeted by “multiple attacks”. “Ousmane Sonko, consumed by the fear of defeat, is desperately trying to muzzle democracy by trying to establish a climate of terror”she adds.

“The Samm Sa Kaddu coalition holds Ousmane Sonko responsible for anything that could happen to its members, activists, supporters and voters”she said again.

Violence marked the campaign, which opened on October 27 for a period of twenty-one days. Clashes took place on October 30 in Koungueul between supporters of the opposition and the government, while Mr. Sonko's convoy was campaigning. The Dakar headquarters of an opposition party was attacked on October 28 by unknown assailants, who attacked vehicles, broke windows and started a fire.

On October 25, President Faye called on all those involved in the elections to the “moderation”.

“As the electoral campaign for the legislative elections approaches, I invite all Senegalese, in particular political actors, whatever their side, to avoid excesses in their speeches and their actions”he declared.

Former President Sall and Mr. Sonko – who had designated Mr. Faye to replace him in the presidential election after the invalidation of his candidacy – engaged in a standoff three years before the spring changeover which caused dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests.