Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was released on March 8, 2021 from a detention his lawyer is said should not have exceeded 48 hours.
Sonko was arrested on March 3, 2021 on his way to court to respond to rape allegations. He was accused of disturbing public order and participating in an unauthorized demonstration. His arrest sparked 5 days of protests in the country and in the diaspora, leaving more than 10 people dead.
A few hours after he was released, Sonko held a press conference with several other opposition leaders, including Khalifa Sall, who was arrested under Macky Sall’s regime in 2017 before being granted a presidential pardon after the 2019 presidential elections.
Sonko is accusing President Macky Sall along with his minister of interior Antione Felix Diong, his minister of Justice Malick Sall, and prosecutor Serigne Bassirou Gueye, of fomenting the rape allegations and his arrest.
“Some so-called experts call Macky Sall a political genius,” said Ousmane Sonko. “A political genius because you can plot against your adversary. A political genius because you can buy your adversary to the point where when he speaks you don’t even recognize him anymore. We need a genius of the state. Someone, who, when elected will do the work. That’s what we need! We don’t need a political genius.”
“It’s been 9 years since Macky Sall was elected President of Senegal,” added Sonko. “We’ve never seen what we saw these past few days. How many opposition leaders have been arrested since he was elected? How long is this going to last? We will no longer tolerate this. What he did is nothing but treason because Senegalese citizens didn’t elect him to use the country’s resources to plot against his adversaries. When he was elected, he swore to respect the constitution. He didn’t respect the constitution by doing what he did.”
Ousmane Sonko didn’t just address his political opponent but also the youth and all the Senegalese citizens who protested for 5 days.
Sonko cautioned them not to head to the presidential palace to try to push Macky Sall to step down, but said “if Macky Sall on his own came to resign, then the country should get ready for anticipated elections.”
And for those calling for a government of national unity, Sonko said he would not be part of any government that includes Macky Sall he considers a traitor.
To Sonko, it is clear that, “the revolution has already started and no one can stop it, not even him.” But Sonko warned Senegalese citizens not to make the same mistakes that neighborhood countries like Mali made. That is to allow external forces to capitalize on their revolution.
“We should not allow things to get to the point where the army would take over, because other external forces will get involved to hijack the country,” said Sonko. “If we allow the army to take over, we will lose everything we have fought for.”
Sonko didn’t end the press conference without stating that things would never be the same and from now on, they would keep Macky Sall on task.
“This is not something we are asking Macky Sall to do,” he added. “We are demanding it.”
The list of demands included:
1 – Compensation for the families of those who have died and those injured, and an independent investigation to know who killed who?
2 – The release of all political prisoners unjustly imprisoned without any condition
3 – A stop to the persecution and espionage of political leaders and citizens
4 – The arrest of those armed and hired to terrorize Senegalese citizens during the protests along with those who hired them.
5 – The creation of an environment favoring the 2024 elections
6 – The organization of local elections in 2022
7 – The return to Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade of their civil rights
8 – A public statement by Macky Sall stating that he would not run for a third term
9 – A pacific mobilization to continue the fight for democracy in Senegal
Sonko also made a call to redefine politics in Senegal by making it a way of serving the citizens and not oneself.
Sonko also urged, within the next 6 months, his Senegalese fellow citizens living in Casamance, the southern region of Senegal, to give up their arms and help remove the mines in the region.
He ended the press conference by pointing out that he was not running away from justice but wanted the process and his rights respected. He stated being ready for the beginning of the trial as soon as possible.
Later that evening, Macky Sall addressed the nation for the very first since the beginning of the protests 5 days earlier, calling for calm and serenity, a call the Senegalese citizens who elected him thought came a bit too late.
