As Senegal prepares for legislative elections scheduled for Sunday, the political climate is tense. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has called on his supporters to fight back after alleged attacks on his supporters. Sonko, the head of his party, Pastef, accuses members of a rival coalition of being behind targeted violence during the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ousmane Sonko said his supporters had been attacked in Dakar, Saint-Louis and Koungueul, and he attributed the violence to supporters of Barth\u00e9l\u00e9my Dias, leader of the rival coalition Samm Sa Kaddu. \u201cEvery attack on Pastef must be avenged,\u201d Sonko said, stressing that his party would exercise its legitimate right to retaliate. The prime minister also noted that complaints had been filed, regretting that no arrests had been made so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faced with these statements, the Samm Sa Kaddu coalition, led by Barth\u00e9l\u00e9my Dias, reacted strongly, denouncing a \u201ccall for assumed murder\u201d on the part of Mr. Sonko. In a message on social networks, the coalition claims to have also been targeted by repeated attacks, accusing Mr. Sonko of seeking to create a climate of fear to dissuade their supporters. It thus holds the Prime Minister responsible for any violence against its members and activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As elections approach, rising tensions between political camps in Senegal could undermine the country’s stability. The Prime Minister’s call for retaliation could poison the political climate if no return to dialogue is initiated. In the face of mutual accusations and acts of violence, it is crucial for political leaders to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful electoral competition, in order to ensure a smooth democratic transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Senegal prepares for legislative elections scheduled for Sunday, the political climate is tense. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has called on his supporters to fight back after alleged attacks on his supporters. Sonko, the head of his party, Pastef, accuses members of a rival coalition of being behind targeted violence during the campaign. Accusations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-sports-en"],"yoast_head":"\n