Amnesty International announced on Thursday June 8 that it had counted 23 dead in the unrest that shook Senegal, more than the official toll of the authorities, and demanded an independent investigation. Senegal was plagued, from June 1 to 3, by the most serious unrest in years following the sentencing of opponent Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison in a sex scandal. A court decision which makes ineligible for the presidential election of February 2024 a personality popular in youth and underprivileged circles.
The announcement of the sentence sparked violence that officially claimed 16 lives. Through 18 interviews, authenticated videos and death certificates and autopsy reports attesting to gunshot wounds, Amnesty draws up a rising human toll and denounces excessive use of force as well as attacks on the freedom of expression and information.
“Almost 23 deaths, according to our figures, including several by bullets, were recorded between Dakar and Ziguinchor”, in the South, Amnesty said in a press release. Three were minors, according to the non-governmental organization (NGO). Bassirou Sarr, 31, in Dakar, Fallou Sall, 25, or Ousmane Badio, 17, all three died as a result of gunshots, reveal testimonies from their relatives collected by the NGO. For its part, the party of Mr. Sonko, Pastef (The Patriots of Senegal for work, ethics and fraternity), reported Thursday 26 deaths through the voice of its spokesman, El Malick Ndiaye, a reported the Dakaractu news site.
“Obvious Violations of International Law”
Amnesty says it has noted, in videos it has analyzed, the presence, alongside the police, of armed men in civilian clothes who violently attack demonstrators. “The State must not allow the presence of individuals not identified as part of law enforcement for law enforcement operations, nor the use of force. These are clear violations of international law,” Seydi Gassama, executive director of Amnesty Senegal, said in the statement.
The organization also denounces attacks on freedom of expression. Authorities suspended access to popular social networks and Internet access via mobile phones for several days.
Asked by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the government did not react. He had previously justified the use of force by the need to restore order in the face of what he presented as an attempt to destabilize the state, including by armed men. Prior to Amnesty, Human Rights Watch criticized the authorities’ response to the unrest and called for an investigation.
The authorities have banned two opposition marches, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, against the President, Macky Sall, the first for failure to respect the deadlines for requesting authorization, the second for risk of disturbing public order, a explained the prefecture to AFP. The concern of a new conflagration is widespread. It is fueled by uncertainties about the fate of Mr. Sonko, likely to be arrested after his conviction.