Rising Tensions in Senegal as PM Sonko’s Convoy Attacked Ahead of Crucial Legislative Elections
Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko narrowly escaped harm when his convoy was attacked on Wednesday evening while he campaigned in the town of Koungheul, according to his party, Pastef. Sonko was unharmed, but a former minister and leader of an allied party reportedly sustained a broken arm.
Pastef members say that Sonko’s convoy was hit with stones before police intervened to disperse the attackers. Images circulating online show the injured politician with a blood-stained sleeve and his arm in a sling.
“Violence has no place in an election. In Koungheul, they only tried because attacking Pastef is suicide,”
Sonko said on social media, though he did not specify who was behind the assault.
The incident follows growing tensions ahead of Senegal’s snap legislative elections on November 17, called after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament in September. Sonko’s party, campaigning on a platform of radical change, seeks a legislative majority to implement its promises of social justice and Pan-Africanism.
Senegal’s political climate has heated up further as opposition figures accuse Pastef supporters of targeting rival activists with violence. Opposition MP Fanta Sall reported that activists had been attacked by armed “strongmen” allegedly aligned with Sonko’s campaign, leaving several injured.
Earlier in the week, unidentified attackers reportedly targeted an opposition party’s headquarters in Dakar, vandalizing vehicles, shattering windows, and setting fires.
Senegalese civil society leaders, including Amnesty International’s Seydi Gassama and Transparency International’s Birahim Seck, voiced condemnation of the violence. President Faye also recently urged all political actors to prioritize “responsibility, restraint, and moderation” in the heated pre-election period.
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