The United Nations secretary-general “strongly condemns the use of violence, calls for calm and urges all actors to exercise restraint,” spokesman Farhan Haq said.
The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, condemned this Friday the violence in Senegal and asked all parties for restraint, after the protests against the sentence of the opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, have left nine dead. .
According to Guterres’ deputy spokesman, the United Nations leader is closely monitoring the situation in the African country and presented his Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
Guterres “strongly condemns the use of violence, calls for calm and calls on all actors to exercise restraint”said spokesman Farhan Haq.
At least nine people were killed Thursday in violent protests that broke out after Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for soliciting minors, which would have barred him from running in the 2024 presidential election.
On Friday, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Amnesty International condemned the violence, but was firmer in attributing it mainly to the Senegalese police. The NGO called for “credible and independent investigations about the deaths that occurred during the demonstrations.”
Sonko was brought to trial on May 23 after a young masseur, Adji Sarr, accused him in early 2021 of “repeated rapes” and “death threats”.
Opposition leader and his entourage denounced the “instrumentalization” of justice by Macky Sall -President of the country since 2012 and re-elected in 2019- to prevent Sonko from running in the presidential elections scheduled for February 2024.
Known for his “anti-system” speech, the opposition leader criticizes bad government, corruption and French neocolonialism and has many followers among Senegalese youth.
Source: Observadora
