According to Reuters, the death toll from protests in Senegal over the postponement of the presidential election until December has risen to three. This has raised concerns about the future of one of the few remaining democracies in a West Africa region that has been plagued by military coups.
The decision to delay the election, which was initially scheduled for Feb. 25, led to violent clashes between protesters and police in Dakar and other cities. Many fear that the unrest could lead to prolonged instability in the country.
President Macky Sall has defended the delay, stating that electoral disputes had put the credibility of the poll at risk. However, some opposition lawmakers have criticized the move as an “institutional coup.”
As public outrage grows, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and foreign powers have called on Sall to restore normal electoral processes in the country.
According to Cartogra Free Senegal (CFS), a civil society platform, the death toll rose to three after a young man died amid reported protests in the city of Zinguinchor on Saturday evening. The manager of Ziguinchor hospital, Ndiame Diop, stated that they were unable to determine the exact cause of death without an autopsy.
The interior ministry has confirmed only one death, that of a student in the city of Saint-Louis on Friday. The ministry has not commented on the reported second death of a 23-year-old merchant on the outskirts of Dakar, according to CFS.
The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs expressed sadness regarding the two confirmed deaths and urged all parties to act peacefully and with restraint. They also called on President Sall to restore confidence and calm to the situation.
The future remains uncertain, with opposition lawmakers and presidential candidates who reject the postponement filing legal challenges. They have also stated that they will not recognize Sall as president after his original term ends in early April. The postponement bill, backed by parliament, extends Sall’s tenure until his successor is installed after the election, now set for Dec. 15.
Opposition lawmaker Guy Marius Sagna has warned that if Sall does not hand back power on April 3, they will establish a parallel government of national unity.
(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
