Advertisement

Boy killed by gunfire amid continued clashes, protests in Senegal

Click to play video: 'Demonstrators light fires on Saint Louis streets as Senegal unrest continues'
Demonstrators light fires on Saint Louis streets as Senegal unrest continues
WATCH: Protesters lit fires on the streets of Saint Louis, Senegal as demonstrations continued Friday over the arrest of country’s leading opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, who has been accused of rape – Mar 6, 2021

A 17-year-old boy was killed by gunfire in southern Senegal on Saturday, a government official said, and several police stations were ransacked as opponents of President Macky Sall called for more protests next week.

The boy was killed during clashes in the southern town of Diaobe, said the official, who asked not to be named. Protesters also burned down a military police station and ransacked several government buildings, the official said.

At least five people have died in protests sparked by Wednesday’s arrest of Ousmane Sonko, Senegal’s most prominent opposition leader. It is the worst political unrest in years for a country widely seen as one of West Africa’s most stable.

A spokesman for Senegal’s military police confirmed one person had died during clashes in Diaobe but did not say under what circumstances. He said protesters ransacked six police stations across the country on Saturday.

Story continues below advertisement

Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, was arrested after an employee of a beauty salon accused him of raping her. Sonko denies the allegation and says it is an attempt by Sall to kneecap a political rival.

Click to play video: 'Myanmar’s violent crackdown on protests becomes deadlier'
Myanmar’s violent crackdown on protests becomes deadlier

The government denies this.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The mostly young protesters cited a range of other grievances too, including high unemployment and strict measures to control the coronavirus that have inflicted economic pain, especially on informal workers.

Many are especially dubious about the accusation against Sonko because two other top rivals of Sall were previously targeted by criminal charges that prevented them from running for president in 2019.

Story continues below advertisement

In a statement, the opposition Movement to Defend Democracy (M2D) coalition called for three days of nationwide protests beginning on Monday.

“M2D … calls on the Senegalese people to pursue its mobilization and peaceful struggle by using all of its constitutional rights to reject the dictatorship of Macky Sall,” it said. (Reporting by Diadie Ba; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by David Gregorio)

Sponsored content

AdChoices