Nation’s dedication to democracy will keep striving: Senegalese President

The president of Senegal, Macky Sall, stated that the nation’s dedication to democracy will keep striving “despite those that try to paint it with darker colors.”

According to t Africa News, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal and Sall were both speaking to reporters in Lisbon.

After opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was found guilty of corrupting youth but found not guilty of raping a massage parlor employee and threatening to kill her, deadly clashes between Senegalese police and Sonko’s supporters broke out in Dakar in recent weeks.

Protesters blocked roads, lit tires on fire, and threw rocks at police in residential areas. The army patrolled the streets as police used tear gas to disperse the protesters and detain anyone they thought was causing trouble.

Sonko, who received a lot of support from the youth of Senegal, finished third in the 2019 presidential election. His supporters contend that the government is attempting to thwart his bid for the presidency in 2024 through his legal issues.

Sonko, who is seen as President Macky Sall’s main rival, has pushed Sall to publicly declare that he won’t run for re-election a third time.

The president of Senegal announced he was open to consultation with the parties involved and ordered an investigation to find out who was behind protests by his political rival’s supporters.

Sall is in Portugal on business. The Portuguese President praised Senegal’s efforts to support peace in Ukraine after an official welcome ceremony and meeting.

The day after visiting Ukraine, a group of African leaders traveled to Russia on a supposedly “peace mission,” and they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. However, there was no discernible progress made as a result of the meeting.

The presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia, as well as the prime minister of Egypt and the top diplomats from the Republic of Congo and Uganda, visited Ukraine on Friday in an effort to put an end to the conflict that has lasted almost 16 months.

Next, the African leaders headed to St. Petersburg on Saturday in order to meet with Putin, who was present at the premier international economic forum in Russia.