Senegal: AU, UN urge calm after deadly clashes, govt’s social media restrictions

The United Nations and African Union have called for calm in Senegal after at least 15 people were killed in an outbreak of violence following the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
The sentencing of opposition politician Sonko for two years in jail on charges of ‘corrupting youth’ sparked some of the deadliest violence in the West African country in recent years. Authorities have deployed the army on the streets of the capital, Dakar, and other cities as the death toll rose to 15. Many protestors fear that Sonko’s sentencing may bar him from running in the 2024 presidential elections. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and “urged all those involved to … exercise restraint”, a spokesman said. The African Union (AU) Commission President, Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemned the violence and urged leaders to avoid acts, which “tarnish the face of Senegalese democracy, of which Africa has always been proud”, the AU said in a statement. Also the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union and France, Senegal’s former colonial power, expressed concern over the violence.
Meanwhile, Senegal’s government limited access to mobile internet services in certain areas on Sunday (4 June), citing deadly rioting in which “hateful and subversive” messages have been posted online. Residents across the capital city were reportedly not unable to access the Internet without a wi-fi connection. “Because of the spread of hateful and subversive messages … mobile Internet is temporarily suspended at certain hours of the day,” the statement by the authorities said. Rights groups have slammed the move not only because it violates freedom of speech but can also dent the already fragile economy. Also authorities in other African countries, such as Gabon, Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, have cut Internet access at times of instability.